BEIRUT (AP) — The Syrian government appeared to have fallen early Sunday in a stunning end to the 50-year rule of the Assad family after a lightning rebel offensive.
The head of a Syrian opposition war monitor said President Bashar Assad had left the country for an undisclosed location, fleeing ahead of insurgents who said they had entered Damascus after a remarkably swift advance across the country.
Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali said the government was ready to “extend its hand” to the opposition and hand over its functions to a transitional government.
You assumed correctly. And they have. The West, particularly the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and other European countries, has supported various rebel groups in Syria during the Syrian Civil War, which began in 2011. Initially, the support was aimed at opposing the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The U.S. and its allies provided military training, weapons, and funding to moderate rebel groups, such as the Free Syrian Army (FSA). The Kurds in the north of Syria have been openly backed by the US for years. Admittedly it’s not necessarily the FSA that have become victorious but the point still stands…the West has backed the wrong horse. And in the months to come this they will privately lament the regime’s demise.
I don’t understand, do you mean that the west should have backed this terrorist group to come out on top or what?
I fear you grossly misinterpreted my comment but for clarity: the West should have backed Assad as the alternative will be worse, a lot worse.
Thanks for the clarification, I assumed you meant that the West had backed HTS, but I understand what you meant now. :)
Actually I have reexamined my initial comment and I could have phrased it clearly I appreciate that on first sight it was a tad cryptic with multiple interpretations. 😀