Any chances that Assad could ever face prosecution?

The UN body set up to investigate international crimes during Syria's civil war is calling on the country's new leaders to secure evidence related to those atrocities. The agency's leader, former Canadian prosecutor Robert Petit, says he and his team are hoping to travel to Syria in the coming days to see the situation first-hand, and to gather evidence. sher

Images and narratives of Syria’s historic moment

With the end of the al-Assad regime and half a century of dictatorship, Syria’s media space is undergoing tumultuous changes. State TV and social media users are weaving new narratives, while the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham continues its rebrand.

Syrian rebel leaders now say they control Homs as they eye Damascus

Syrian rebel leaders say they are now in full control of the strategic city of Homs after government forces withdrew. The city's capture leaves the road to Damascus open for the main rebel offensive from the north -- while opposition factions in the south are already on the capital's doorstep. These images on social media show Syrian protesters toppling a statue of the president's late father in the southern suburbs of Damascus. Syrian state media report that President Bashar al-Assad is still in the capital, although he hasn't been seen in days. Government soldiers have been seen fleeing across the border into Iraq.

Has Bashar al Assad really won the war in Syria?

 Government blames armed groups for attack on military academy in Homs.

The Syrian government has declared three days of mourning after an attack on a military academy in the western city of Homs.

Damascus blames armed groups, backed by international parties, for the drone attack targeting a graduation ceremony.

Assad: The rehabilitation of a war criminal

 

Syrian President Assad’s return to the Arab League culminates years of spin and war crimes denial. Plus, the outlet investigating Ecuador’s narco trade.

After 12 years of being shunned for his crackdown on protests that pushed Syria towards civil war, President Bashar al-Assad returned to the Arab League’s annual summit. The process of al-Assad’s rehabilitation – spearheaded by Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman – has taken years of PR, spin, photo ops and the casting aside of history.

Syria war: US launches missile strikes following chemical 'attack'

The US has carried out a missile attack against targets in Syria in response to a suspected chemical weapons attack on a rebel-held town.

A Pentagon official said about 50 Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired from Navy destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean at a Syrian air base.

It came after US President Donald Trump warned that "something should happen" against the Syrian leadership.

Dozens of civilians died in a suspected nerve gas attack in Syria on Tuesday.

The US missiles hit the Shayrat airfield, where the US believes Tuesday's deadly attack was launched, one US official was quoted as saying.

Turkey's ISIL dilemma

Ankara is under mounting internal and external pressure to act as the battle for Kobane continues

The US and Britain have warned air strikes alone will not be enough to hold back ISIL from taking over the town and others like it. And officials in Washington are increasingly frustrated their NATO ally, Turkey, is refusing to intervene to help Kobane. Either by using its military or by helping Kurdish fighters.

Ankara's reluctance has triggered violent protests inisde Turkey itself. Pro-Kurdish demonstrators have fought police across the country, killing at least a dozen and injuring many more.

Turkey says it will not get involved unless a safe area, including a no-fly zone, is imposed in northern Syria and unless it gets assurances that the US-led alliance will go after Syrian President Bashar al Assad.

From The New York Times
Mr. Erdogan’s Dangerous Game
Turkey’s Refusal to Fight ISIS Hurts the Kurds

Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, once aspired to lead the Muslim world. At this time of regional crisis, he has been anything but a leader. Turkish troops and tanks have been standing passively behind a chicken-wire border fence while a mile away in Syria, Islamic extremists are besieging the town of Kobani and its Kurdish population.

This is an indictment of Mr. Erdogan and his cynical political calculations. By keeping his forces on the sidelines and refusing to help in other ways — like allowing Kurdish fighters to pass through Turkey — he seeks not only to weaken the Kurds, but also, in a test of will with President Obama, to force the United States to help him oust President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, whom he detests.

How she went from a school teacher to an ISIS member-video interview

Disillusionment, fear, inability to cope, propaganda they can all contribute to ones journey to the dark side. As can extremism packaged as a path towards an reachable utopia. All play a part in a persons flight towards what they see as a better future when the reality is a future of crimes against humanity. No matter how one tries to spin it they choose the path they are on.


She calls herself 'Khadija.' It's not her real name, because she's a marked woman. Once a member of a fearsome, female ISIS brigade, she's a recent defector, disillusioned by the group's brutality.

Her interview with CNN is the first time she has ever told anyone her story.


'I ran away to something uglier'

Growing up in Syria, Khadija's family ensured she got an education. She earned her college degree and began teaching elementary school. Khadija describes her family and upbringing as "not overly conservative."

When the Syrian uprising began more than three and a half years ago, Khadija joined the masses who began peaceful protests against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

"We'd go out and demonstrate. The security services would chase us. We'd write on walls, have different outfits to change into," she said. "Those days were great."

But it was when the Syrian uprising spiraled into chaos and violence that she said she began to lose her soul, her humanity.

"Everything around us was chaos," she said, her words tumbling out. "Free Syrian Army, the regime, barrel bombs, strikes, the wounded, clinics, blood -- you want to tear yourself away, to find something to run to.

`No Expectation` to lose Syria vote: Susan Rice National Security Advisor to Pres. Obama-video

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When the peaceful protests against the Presidency of Bashar Al Assad turned deadly back in March of 2011 with coordinated attacks by the Syrian military the worlds governments to didn't say much. As the violence escalated with more civilians being killed the world took some notice but world leaders continued to insist that it was an "internal Syrian problem." Even as the number of people killed surpassed 100,000 and the number of refugees grew the world still watched from the sidelines, expressing regret at the human tragedy taking place in Syria. Today there are more than 2 million Syrian refugees living in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey with an unknown number who internally displaced and more than 200,000 dead the world has finally taken notice but not for the reasons they should have two years ago. The world began clutching its collective pearls following a chemical weapons attack which left 1,426 people dead. Suddenly the worlds governments are taking notice of this years long tragedy and are ready to send Bashar Al Assad a message. Sending messages will accomplish what exactly? Nothing. If the world was going to intervene Syrian conflict they should have done so two years ago. Before this civil war escalated beyond anyones control.