The international community should take the humanitarian crisis in Syria very seriously. There is no end in sight to the ongoing conflict. The situation is likely to aggravate as radical elements from Iraq have entered the theater of war. The fighting between the Syrian opposition and the radical elements is being wrongfully portrayed as infighting between Syrian opposition. It should be kept in mind that the radical elements have an altogether different target. These radicals don’t represent the aspirations of the Syrians. They have their own vicious agenda. It is high time the true Syrian fighters battling the brutal regime and the radicals were equipped with modern arms and equipment to help them gain victory over their opponents.

Had the global powers taken a strong initiative against the Syrian regime, things would have been totally different. With the presence of Al-Qaeda-linked militants in Syria, the equation has changed in favor of Assad, as he is considered by many as the lesser evil. In any case, the changed political scenario is equally damaging to the Syrians who are caught in the crossfire. The number of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) is swelling with every passing day.

This is a major issue and the international community must look into this. Even in the wake of Assad’s ouster, huge funds will be required for the rehabilitation of these refugees and IDPs and for the reconstruction of Syria. It seems that sensing his fate, Assad is deliberately destroying his country’s strategic installations so as to make it difficult for the eventual successor(s) to run the country. — Nawaz Ahmed, Jeddah