Syrian Children Targeted

"Syria Blasts At School Kill 32, Including 10 Kids"
By: Albert Aji and Diaa Hadid
Source: Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/01/isis-beheads-women_n_5912790.html?cps=gravity

Two bombings near an elementary school in Syria have killed at least thirty-two people, and at least ten of the victims are said to be children. The attack occurred outside the Ekremah al-Makhzoumi elementary school, located in the central city of Homs, a government controlled area. This region is predominantly Alawite minority. The children of Syria have often been victims of attacks in the civil war, but this time they appear to have been the target. The first explosion went off in a vehicle as the children were leaving the school. Panicked adults and parents began to carry bodies when the second explosion occurred, creating even more chaos. This was one of the deadliest disturbances in the area in months. The Syrian Arab News Agency, SANA, announced that at least thirty-two people were killed and 115 injured. An anonymous local official claimed that “immediately after the bombings… at least ten of the dead were children” (Aji and Hadid, 1). A suicide bomber reportedly caused the second explosion. Footage of the bombings was posted on a pro-government Facebook page. The video appeared to be authentic and was consistent with what the Associated Press reported of the events. Talal Bazari, the governor of Homs, recounted the burst as a “terrorist act and a desperate attempt that targeted school children” (Aji and Hadid, 1). No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The same day, the Observatory reported that dozens of militants and Kurdish fighters were captured and killed in the fighting near the Syria-Turkey border. Since the Islamic State launched an assault in mid-September, Kurdish forces have been engaging in constant aggressive confrontations with the militants in Kobani. The violence has produced one of the largest withdrawals in Syria’s civil war, with many fleeing into Turkey.

This article portrays the existing and growing tensions in Syria. The Syrian rebels fighting to expel Assad have been known to carry out numerous bombing in government-held areas of Homs. The United States military has recently decided to take matters into their own hands and get involved, but there is only so much they can and should do.