Civilians In Aleppo Tweet Heartbreaking Goodbyes As Gov’t Forces Close In

Since anti-government protests and a disproportionately violent government response unofficially started the Syrian civil war five years ago, over 400,000 lives have been lost, and more than 11 million people have been forcibly displaced. 
The human fallout has been catastrophic, to say the least. It’ll be long-lasting in not only the region, but also in the form of millions of people seeking safety across Europe, the still-present menace of Islamic State, and the symbiotic rise of far-right nationalists across the globe.

And it would take a fucking book to fully explain the political motives, violent escalations, engagement with failed peace efforts, and straight up war crimes we’ve seen from the various government / anti-government / ISIS / foreign forces.

We can, however, at least point to one innocent group through all of this: Syrian civilians, who have tragically been caught in the middle of this shithouse conflict.

As the battle for the city of Aleppo reportedly comes to a close, with the Syrian military and Iranian-backed forces retaking control of at least “98%” of the city as of yesterday, we’re seeing a lot more of this personal cost. 

100,000 people are still stuck in a tiny, “five square metre [sic]” area in east Syria as government forces continue some of the heaviest bombardments yet to capture the last rebel-held territory. While multiple international and human rights bodies have called for civilians to be protected, there are reports civilians are being killed on the spot.
Now, we are seeing people taking to Twitter to put out what might be their final goodbyes. Some of the messages have come from people involved more directly in anti-government forces than they’d otherwise appear, but, as best we can, we’ve complied messages from civilians, activists and volunteers here.
Have a look below gang, and Christ, just try to be kind to yourself and each other.


Source: Twitter.
Photo: Getty / George Ourfalian.

More Stuff From PEDESTRIAN.TV