Words cannot adequately describe the horrors that wars inflict on people. In this video captured by drones flying over the city of Homs in Syria, we get a look at the staggering levels of devastation that has been inflicted on the people of that city. This used to be the third largest city in Syria and a major industrial center. It is heartbreaking to see the impoverishment of yet another country in that region similar to the way that Iraq and Libya, other countries that had a modern infrastructure, were ruined by wars.
Is it any surprise that so many people have fled the area and are now refugees elsewhere in the country or have gone to other countries?
Raqqa looks the same. It was a city of 100,000 and now that it’s “ISIS headquarters” its on its way to looking like that kind of cratered wreckage. The coalition forces make it sound like they are bombing some kind of fuhrerbunker constructed in a forest, and deep underground. They are not; they’re bombing a city of ruins, which have some ISIS people running around in the middle of other people and they’re all getting bombed.
Oh, by the way -- that’s what “precision bombing” looks like.
“Area bombing” -- when the B-52s unload a walking wave of explosives -- doesn’t leave tall pieces of rubble like this.
Mano,
There’s something off about this video.
My eyes aren’t what they used to be, but I didn’t see any sign of life anywhere. That doesn’t make sense.
Perhaps younger and sharper eyes can spot what I can’t see.
This isn’t the surface of the moon.
I’ll keep looking.
Jeff
“Words cannot adequately describe the horrors that wars inflict on people.”
No. Not even videos and pictures can. I have visited a war site myself. It was kindergarten compared to Syria, but I won’ ever forget how the town of Albina looked like after
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suriname_Guerrilla_War
Part of France’s “response” to the killings in Paris was to bomb Raqqa.
So far there are estimates ranging between 2,000 and 12,000 civilians killed by US bombing against ISIS. It’s the same scenario as the US’ bombing against the NVA and, as US strategy in Syria continues to fail, they will eventually bring in the heavy bombers and it’ll be Vietnam all over again. For the world’s sake I hope ISIS doesn’t get enough darwinian pressure on it that it coughs up the arab world’s Ho Chi Minh, because -- if that happens -- Israel and Saudi Arabia (for starters) are fucked, real hard. We don’t learn. We just don’t learn.
Marcus,
That’s true, you’re absolutely correct. We (as in We The People) don’t learn, or don’t care to learn, because we have no, or very little, skin in the game: our lives and the lives of those we love, are not threatened.
Bombing works for those actually doing the bombing. They get to appear to be taking decisive action with little or no risk to the military personnel involved— that the Air Force academy is infested with christianists is no coincidence—and those making a living, making a killing, from ordinance are looking forward to another profitable year.
Jeff
Extermination. Genocide :
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-09/mass-deaths-in-syrian-jails-amount-to-crime-of-extermination/7150842
War crimes. Evil. Reality.
Syria is fucked.
What can or do we do?
I for one don’t have a clue. Can only barely begin to imagine what its like there.
Anyone?
SteveoR
Very early in my political life (c. 1972) I discovered a very powerful tool for change: letter writing.
Not emailing, not phone calling, not letter typing, but letter writing, on real stationary with a real pen.
As Omar Ahmad tells his audience, real letters are like hen’s teeth to politicians. A constituent who takes the time to pen a thoughtful and well considered letter gets their attention. Really.
There is much more we can do, but when people can’t imagine where to begin, this is where I point them.
Good luck,
Jeff Hess
Have Coffee Will Write
@ ^ hyphenman : Okay, thanks.