Damascus targets women, children to break fighters' will

Beirut: Damascus might reason that targeting women and children brutally may break the will of those fighters who, at the sight of atrocities, will end their resistance. Given the repercussions of such displays, is this a useful tactic used by Damascus, and what else could be motivating intransigent decision-makers?

An equally important reason for the brutality might be the presence of Iranian military elements who applied similar methods in 2009 and whose presence in Syria was confirmed by independent observers.

Tehran’s commitment to the Ba’ath regime may be strategic, and Damascus might have little to say as to how brutal operations are carried out, which was even worse than many assumed. Accuracy concerns over the numbers of civilian casualties in Syria notwithstanding, there were no controversies that the figures were on the rise, now topping the 13,000 mark.

In fact, although no precise breakdowns in the total numbers were possible, the United Nations Children’s Fund claimed that over 500 children were killed since March 2011. Another 400 children were reportedly arrested and/or tortured in Syrian prisons. Data for women who perished was also difficult to pinpoint though the figures were non-negligible — hovering around 2,000 — since Damascus perceived increasing numbers of women who chant alongside men in demonstrations and who run under fire alongside men, as clear threats to law and order.