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Culture > News

A Reflection on the Attack on Syria

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Maine chapter.

The country of Syria has been facing a serious civil war for years, the leader of Syria is Bashar al-Assad who has been the president since 2000. The country has faced an ongoing violence and as of today over 5.6 million Syrians have fled their country for safety.

            On the morning of April 7, 2018 the Syrian government orders helicopters to drop several bombs filled with toxic gas in a town in Eastern Ghouta which is one of the last rebel controlled areas in the nation. The attack focused on housing units, hospitals and other community service areas. The World Health Organization has predicted that more than 500 Syrians have died at the hands of their own government during this recent attack.

The use of chemical weapons is considered a war crime and is against the Geneva Conventions, international protocol, and the Hague Regulations, not to mention is extremely devastating and cruel. The UN has had several meetings to decide how world leaders would respond. President Donald Trump had pushed for serious repercussions and on April 13, 2018 the United States, United Kingdom and France delivered. The three countries and allies launched several airstrikes on Syria during the early morning hours. 

The United States, France and UK launch airstrikes on Syria in response to the chemical weapons attack in Eastern Ghouta a week earlier. These airstrikes focused on targets associated with the chemical weapon capabilities of the Syrian Government and produced limited fatalities. The United Nations hopes to send a mission to Syrian that their behavior will not be tolerated.

Emma is a junior at the University of Maine at Orono. She double majors in sociology and political science and is minoring in law and legal studies. In her free time, Emma loves to go fishing, snowmobile, kayak, read, sew and explore the great state of Maine! Instagram: @empooler
Mary is a fourth year Ecology and Environmental Science major at the University of Maine, with a concentration in sustainability. Mary loves to read, spend time with her Alpha Phi sisters, cuddle with her cat, and drink coffee. She hopes to save the environment and adopt alllll the kitties.