Last messages from Aleppo as Syria regime massacres women and children

Over the past 24 hours, several videos have been released by the men, women and children of Aleppo as the regime forces of President Bashar Al-Assad mercilessly bombard almost 100,000 civilians who are stuck in a two kilometre squared pocket and have nowhere to flee to.

The United Nations has also now definitively confirmed that the Assad regime and Iran-backed Shia jihadists from Lebanon, Iraq and further afield are now committing atrocities in areas they recaptured from the Syrian opposition in Aleppo. Those massacred included women and children, who were killed after being dragged from their homes.

Speaking just before midnight last night, dentist Salem Abu Al-Nasr, clearly emotional and tired, yet dignified, explained how it was “extremely dangerous to be [in Aleppo]” and how “the human damage is terrible”, in what was once Syria’s most populous and wealthy city, eclipsing even the capital Damascus.

Describing the terrible weapons being used against civilians in Aleppo, the dentist emphasised that these highly explosive munitions were being used on an area “that is no larger than two square kilometres with no less than 80,000 human beings who are mainly civilians…most of them women, children and the elderly.”

Calling on the Assad regime shelling, bombing and violence to stop, Abu Al-Nasr said “after that, we can talk about what needs to be done. The exit of armed men, the exit of civilians…the area is being subjected to a true genocide, [whether] people or even rocks.”

“We hope to keep on living, and we love life. I hope we’ll meet again,” Abu Al-Nasr concluded, in what may be his last words to anyone who has the heart to hear them.

Another frightened citizen of Aleppo, Lina Shamy, pled with the world: “To everyone who can hear me. We here are exposed to a genocide in the besieged city of Aleppo. This may be my last video”

To everyone who can hear me!#SaveAleppo#SaveHumanity pic.twitter.com/cbExEMKqEY

— Lina shamy (@Linashamy) December 12, 2016

“More than 50,000 civilians who rebelled against the dictator Al-Assad are threatened with field executions or dying under bombing,” Lina said, explaining that “more than 180 people have been [executed in the field]…by the Al-Assad gangs and the militias that support them.”

Echoing Abu Al-Nasr, Lina explained that the civilians are stuck in a narrow strip of land “that does not exceed two square kilometres” and with no access to safety and that “every bomb was a new massacre.”

“Save Aleppo. Save humanity.”

The humanity that Lina was talking about remained elusive in its discovery. Two young men, clearly stricken with fear as to the atrocities that awaited them, urged the world to help and asked them to try and place themselves in their position.

“If we don’t do anything now, today, God forbid, we will see our sisters being raped by the [Assad] regime and the sectarian militias inside the city of Aleppo,” one of the young men said.

“Imagine your sister is inside Aleppo, and the regime is arresting her or raping her.”

These harrowing thoughts, that are likely to soon become a reality, were echoed by Bilal Abdul Kareem, an American journalist from On the Ground News (OGN), who has gained recognition for his outstanding and brave journalism as the last Western journalist in Aleppo.

With the sounds of explosions and gunfire around him, Kareem discussed the very real possibility that he may not make it out alive of Aleppo: “If we don’t make it out of besieged Aleppo, OGN is going to continue and they’re going to continue to bring you news from on the ground…that you can trust.”

Kareem, completely showing the strength of his faith and convictions in his serene face, then moved to rebuke the Arab and Islamic world as a whole.

Referring to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his reputation for Muslim solidarity and piety, Kareem slammed him, saying: “Guys, you really dropped the ball on this one. Erdogan, nice recitation of Quran, but you really blew it this time.”

“You really, really had an opportunity to be the hero flying here with a cape and help out these poor people with your troops just 25 kilometres away. But you blew it!”

Not merely focusing on the Turkish president, Kareem continued: “And a whole lot of other folks blew it. The Qataris blew it, the Saudis blew it, and all the rest of ‘em. Y’all blew it.”

Few around the world who stood by the Syrian revolution for freedom from a tyrannical regime would disagree with Bilal Abdul Kareem, a man whose excellent, honest and down to earth reporting we may soon be deprived of.