Photo: CNN
Eastern Ghouta is a region in Syria still under control of the opposition forces, that have been under siege by the government army for nearly five years now. The ongoing battle for the area is, according to the local government, in the final stages.
To give his troops a boost in morale, Bashar al-Assad, the ruler of the country and probably the world’s most controversial figure, decided to visit the front lines. But he chose to do so not in the usual way a head of state does such things.
In a series of videos posted on the Syrian presidency’s Twitter account, Assad is seen getting behind the wheel of a Honda Civic, unguarded by the usual army of bodyguards, and taking to the road to Ghouta, “to see the situation.”
"God willing, anything that can be liberated without fighting is best," Assad says in his tweet. "Every meter of the areas that we're driving through may have a drop of the blood of a Syrian fighter, of a hero among heroes so that we can all pass through it and for life to return."
After arriving in Ghouta, out the window of his car a desolate landscape unfolds, showing what may very well be a deserted town. That all changes, however, when he reaches the front line and gets surrounded by his bodyguards and troops.
The soldiers chant his name, pledging to sacrifice themselves for Assad, weapons in hand or from up on tanks, mesmerized by the president’s claim that they are not fighting a battle for Syria, but for the world.
According to CNN, citing the United Nations, the latest offensive in the Ghouta region has killed more than 1,000 people. Just as with any government military operation in Syria, this one two has been condemned at the UN, but covertly backed by Moscow.
In a series of videos posted on the Syrian presidency’s Twitter account, Assad is seen getting behind the wheel of a Honda Civic, unguarded by the usual army of bodyguards, and taking to the road to Ghouta, “to see the situation.”
"God willing, anything that can be liberated without fighting is best," Assad says in his tweet. "Every meter of the areas that we're driving through may have a drop of the blood of a Syrian fighter, of a hero among heroes so that we can all pass through it and for life to return."
After arriving in Ghouta, out the window of his car a desolate landscape unfolds, showing what may very well be a deserted town. That all changes, however, when he reaches the front line and gets surrounded by his bodyguards and troops.
The soldiers chant his name, pledging to sacrifice themselves for Assad, weapons in hand or from up on tanks, mesmerized by the president’s claim that they are not fighting a battle for Syria, but for the world.
According to CNN, citing the United Nations, the latest offensive in the Ghouta region has killed more than 1,000 people. Just as with any government military operation in Syria, this one two has been condemned at the UN, but covertly backed by Moscow.
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