Syrian Forces Bombard Idlib As Civilians Flee

FEATURING RAHUL MAHAJAN – A US-led security force in Northern Syria came under fire from Syrian forces this week in a rare direct interaction between troops of both countries. The Syrian government has been relentlessly bombarding the rebel-held area of Idlib causing nearly three quarters of a million Syrians to flee in what the United Nations has called the single largest exodus of the 9-year long war.

In spite of peace-talks that were held last fall in Geneva and expectations that the war was wrapping up, Syrian President Bashar Al Assad appears to have been emboldened to continue the attacks on rebel groups along with his allies, the Russian and Iranian governments. Meanwhile tensions with neighboring Turkey have increased after a number of Turkish soldiers were killed by the Syrian government earlier this month.

Rahul Mahajan is the author of two books on the Iraq war: Full Spectrum Dominance: U.S. Power in Iraq and Beyond and The New Crusade: America’s War on Terrorism. He also teaches at University of Wisconsin, River Falls, and the US Foreign Policy and Empire Correspondent for Rising Up With Sonali.