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Syrian activists react with dismay to UK air strikes
Syrian activists have reacted with dismay at the news Britain is to begin targeting ISIS militants with air strikes inside the country. Many expressed concern that it would do little to hinder the jihadis while others suggested it would drive new recruits into the extremists' arms.
'Just bombing ISIS in Raqqa from the sky will not defeat ISIS but it will make people suffer more. 'ISIS will use UK strikes to recruit new people in the West and new fighters, and maybe they will [carry out] terrorist attacks. 'In the end, nobody will liberate Raqqa except the people of Raqqa.'
'ISIS is a symptom of a larger problem and in Syria that is the Assad regime and the scorched earth policy it uses against anyone who opposes it, creating a space that jihadists from all over the world can come and exploit.' He suggested citizens living in the country saw little distinction between the varying groups and countries bombing them instead of al-Assad. 'So it's very easy for jihadists to say it's the Shia Muslims, the Russian Orthodox Christians and the Western Christians all ganging up and bombing us because we are Sunni Muslims.' And a statement issued by Rethink Rebuild Society, a Manchester-based Syrian advocacy group, expressed dismay. It claimed the bombing would not make Britain safer from the terrorists - instead it would 'fan the flames of radicalisation and therefore expose us to greater vulnerabilities'. It added: 'We stress that any threat that [ISIS] poses to the UK is ultimately attributable to the Assad regime. 'Without first addressing the Assad regime’s indiscriminate use of force in Syria, which created the violence, chaos, and destruction that allowed for the emergence of terrorist groups in Syria, we cannot begin to tackle the threat posed by [ISIS].' Posted by: Steve White 2015-12-05 |
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