Putin Won’t Stop the Slaughter of Idlib

Bashar al-Assad has never been coy about his plans. Through much of Syria’s civil war, its president has proclaimed that opposition is equivalent to terrorism, and must be wiped out. His regime is simply following the policy that grew out of its supporters’ favorite slogan: “Assad, or we burn the country.” This is why no amount of pablum from the Russia-sponsored process to craft a political resolution to the conflict—and humiliate Western powers by superseding their own peace process—can stop the terrible endgame that awaits in Idlib.

In recent days, the Russian air force has intensified its bombing of the rebel-held Idlib province in Syria’s northwest,as Assad masses ground troops on its edges. There is growing concern that the reconquest of Idlib will cause still more avoidable suffering for 3 million Syrians, most of them civilians. They are trapped in the rural, mountainous topography of Idlib said on Friday. His words made a mockery of the United States and other governments that half-heartedly aided rebels and opposition groups, and today decry the coming catastrophe in Idlib.