This month will see the Syrian war enter into its eighth year. The human cost has been enormous, with more than 465,000 dead and some 12 million displaced. And still the violence and bloodshed show no signs of letting up; with focus now fixed on Eastern Ghouta. The latter is a suburb some 10km east of Damascus. It is described as the last rebel stronghold. And the Russian-backed Syrian regime has come under increasing fire as it bombs the area and then bombs it some more to reassert the writ of Bashar al-Assad. Indeed, Amnesty International is talking of war crimes having been committed there. The death toll in Eastern Ghouta is believed to be close to the 600-mark, including 123 children; with another 2,4000 wounded. The UN has expressed outrage at these figures, as is its wont. A UN-brokered 30-day ceasefire has faltered from the offset. Meaning that crucial humanitarian relief has not been able to get to ordinary civilians. President Putin has contended that he does not recognise the truce as extending to ‘terrorists’. The Russian strongman has a lot riding on Eastern Ghouta given that it is one of the de-escalation zones negotiated by Moscow, Tehran and Ankara; which are effectively supposed to be no-fly zones for either Russian or Syrian warplanes. And now there are murmurings of Monday’s suspected chemical attack being traced back to North Korea, as well as rumours that the Iranians have set up a military base in the country. The US, for its part, is adopting a narrative with Cold War overtones. Admittedly, Putin has much to answer for by propping up a regime that has turned on its own people. But it is naïve to fall for the line that the Americans are the good guys in this scenario. In short, all those involved in the conflict have Syrian blood on their hands. But it is still worth remembering that although Eastern Ghouta has been under continuous aerial bombardment for the last two weeks — the rebels that took control of the district some five years ago were armed by Washington, which makes the latter a party to the present hostilities. For it was only as late as last summer that Washington announced it was pulling the plug on the this not-so-clandestine CIA programme. At the time, the message coming through was that this was not to be seen as kowtowing to Russian military might — but, rather, a signal aimed at opening a new chapter in relations with Moscow. Eight years is too long for the Syrian people to suffer such brutality at the hands of their own regime. And it is far too long for them to be cast as pawns in a proxy war being played by the so-called great powers. All we can say is this: stop the bloodshed. Stop the suffering. * Published in Daily Times, March 1st 2018.