Not many today will remember Syria for anything other than war. The Syrian conflict which has lingered for several years now since it began in 2011 has left the middle eastern country, once revered for its rich and proud history that dates back to classical antiquity, a ghost of its former self.
The conflict began as an offshoot of the Arab uprising, as government bloody crackdown on dissident groups effectively divided the country into two warring factions: the one led by the government and the other by rebel forces who still seek the ouster of the current regime of Bashar al-Assad at all cost.
If the Syrian conflict had been one just between the government and rebel forces, perhaps a quick resolution might have been reached with the United Nations and other world powers acting as mediators in the quest for peace. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. As hostilities between the government and dissident groups escalated, leaving behind an endless trail of destruction and waste, extremist groups, in this case ISIS, that thrive amidst chaos and confusion, found in Syria a fertile ground to breed their own brand of violence. They took over large swathes of territories within the country and parts of Iraq, which has also seen its own share of crisis since the ousting of Saddam Hussein. They declared the areas under their control an Islamic Caliphate and began the mass executions of people who did not share in their faith- moderate Muslims, ethnic minorities and Christians.
ISIS also recruited a large army of children as child-soldiers, some under the age of 10. These poor lads are literally turned into monsters after enduring some of the worst forms of military drills and forced into ISIS' ranks to replenish their depleting stock of fighters. Children they have no need for or who oppose their conscription are tortured or summarily executed. Caught in between warfare and ISIS brutality, millions of Syrians had no other choice but to flee their crisis-ridden country to seek refuge in neighbouring countries as Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, and as far as Europe in dangerous sea crossings. It is estimated that over 250,000 people have died since the crisis began, with millions of others internally displaced within their own country.
So where is the UN and other world powers, you might ask. The answer to that question is the very reason the Syrian conflict has lingered till this day. The UN appears helpless because two major world powers who are supposed to be part of the solution in the conflict have themselves taken sides with either of the warring factions (the US backs the rebel forces against the regime of Bashar al-Assad who is considered a murderer in US diplomatic circles, while Russia supports the regime with serious military aid, even as Putin continues to seek a Russian sphere of influence in the middle east).
And who is left to bear the brunt of the entire scenario? The ordinary people of Syria, of course-men, women and children-who desire nothing else but peace in order to carry on with their normal lives.
For now that peace seems to elude them as they continue to endure the horrors of being killed by rockets shot into building apartments or jet fighters flying overhead and dropping bombs on buildings from which they may never be lucky to get out alive like little Omran did.
Last year it was the picture of the lifeless body of little Aylan washed up ashore after a failed sea crossing attempt with his family that sparked international outrage. Although Aylan's sad end never brought the conflict in his country to end, it sure raised concerns about the conditon of refugees trying to enter Europe. Will the bloodied and badly bruised face of Omran drive the message home to all the warring parties to halt hostilities now?
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