Syrians
in Washington call for Bashar al-Assad's ouster
The
protest came as Trump hinted at possible military reprisals for the
Idlib attack [Creede Newton/Al Jazeera]
Activists urge US President Donald Trump to intervene militarily in Syria after suspected chemical attack.
The
protest came as Trump hinted at possible military reprisals for the
Idlib attack [Creede Newton/Al Jazeera]
Washington,
DC -
Dozens of Syrians gathered in front of the White House on Thursday,
blaming President Bashar al-Assad for the suspected chemical attack
in Idlib province and calling for his ouster.
Protesters
held signs reading "Assad Out Now" and "Syrian
Genocide".
Tuesday's
attack on the town of Khan Sheikhoun in northern Syria that killed
more than 80 people drew international
condemnation and
elicited a change in tone for President Donald Trump and his
administration
Farouk
Belal, an activist who helped organise the protest and is a member of
the Coalition for a Democratic Syria, said he and other Syrians in
the DC area are calling for Assad's ouster by military force to end
the war and stop the proliferation of "extremist"
organisations.
"The
rise of ISIL is due to Assad's crimes ... As long as these crimes
continue, people will join any group to fight him," Belal, who
is originally from Idlib, told Al Jazeera.
"I
guess he's running things, so something should happen," the
president told reporters on Air Force One.
Belal
was confident the US would respond: "We don't know how big or
small it will be, but [Trump] doesn't want a failure like the Obama
administration, if only for media relations."
The
Syrian American Council (SAC), a grassroots organisation that
advocates for "a free, democratic, and pluralistic Syria through
American support" according to its website, welcomed military
strikes against the Syrian government.
"We
want no-fly zones, air strikes against runways, no more hitting
civilian areas and hospitals. We want the entire [Syrian] air force
to be grounded so they can’t carry out attacks against civilians"
Bassam Rifai, a spokesperson for SAC, told Al Jazeera.
No-fly
zones were discussed extensively before Russian air forces entered
the civil war.
When
asked how effective a no-fly zone for Syrian warplanes would be with
Russians still providing support, Rifai said "it becomes a
touchy situation. But because we have a different relationship with
Russia, it's a negotiation to be had," referring to warmer
relations between the Trump administration and Moscow than under
previous administrations.
"Russia
just said its support for Assad isn't unconditional. That was
unthinkable a week ago," Rifai added.
Military
intervention is a contentious subject for many in the US, who are
still wary from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that have gone on for
over a decade.
Back
at the protest, Belal concluded by saying the Syrian diaspora never
asked the US to put troops on the ground, but to reconsider its
policy on vetting Syrian rebels and giving them "the necessary
training and equipment to fight both ISIL and Assad".
The
six-year civil war in Syria has killed an estimated 500,000 people.
Another 11 million people have fled their homes.copy http://www.aljazeera.com/news/
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