2012: FOX News' Greg Palkot in Syria
Footage shows FOX News senior foreign affairs correspondent Greg Palkot on the scene during the 2012 escalation of Syrian Civil War
A decade has passed since the Arab Spring’s uprising spread through the Middle East and hit Syria. Protests wracked Southern Syria and eventually advanced to the capital of Damascus -- the home of the country's leader, Bashar al-Assad.
The protests called for Assad's resignation, but unlike what happened in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya where rulers were forced out of power, Assad and his regime did not back down. Syria's military quickly trained its deadly force on the peaceful protesters, drawing condemnation from international leaders and human rights groups.
U.S. LAUNCHES AIRSTRIKE AGAINST IRANIAN-BACKED FORCES IN SYRIA
Today, 10 years into a civil war the country is in ruins. According to the United Nations, more than 400,000 people have been killed. It is estimated upwards of 1 million have been injured. Half of the country's pre-war population have been thrown out of their homes, with the U.N. estimating that more than 5 million have become refugees outside the country's borders and another 6 million internally displaced.
"We are obviously seeing one of the greatest humanitarian catastrophes," London-based human rights lawyer Toby Cadman told Fox News.
Fox News watched first-hand as the conflict morphed from a pro-democracy revolt against the authoritarian Assad regime, security officials chasing protesters.
Then, massive armed warfare broke out, with Syrian artillery blasting the rebel stronghold city of Homs and elsewhere. As we said at the time, "You are looking at a country waging war on itself…"
We had an in-person interview with Assad when the U.N. charged his regime with using chemical weapons outside Damascus. While he didn’t admit to that, he did claim he was going to get rid of his illicit arsenal. Ultimately, he never did.
And, our team was on the front line along the border between Turkey and Syria when the radical Islamist group ISIS moved into the conflict, taking over towns such as Kobani and many others.
According to the human rights attorney, "what started as a peaceful protest has descended into this conflict of which there is no accountability."
The clash inside of Syria’s borders became a proxy war with Iran and Russia propping up the Assad regime. Regionally, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have supported the rebels.
The US has dipped in and out of the conflict. The Obama administration backed the rebels by attacking the Islamic State. The Trump administration launched a missile attack in 2017 in retaliation for yet another regime chemical attack. Just a month into office, the Biden administration launched a rocket attack as well against facilities in eastern Syria that the Pentagon said are used by Iranian-backed militia.
Now, Assad finds himself still in charge, having regained control of much of his country. But, Syria is in shambles; the health-care system is on the verge of collapse, the economy on the ropes with the currency losing much of its value. Some 80% of Syrians now live in poverty while 60% are at risk of hunger.
Ironically, it's expected Bashar al-Assad will soon be re-elected in an upcoming so-called democratic election. The al-Assad family has ruled Syria since 1971 when Hafez al-Assad and his Ba'ath Party took control of the country. After his death in June 2000, his son Bashar succeeded him.
Despite the country's decimation, al-Assad has shown no sign of willingness to compromise or participate with the UN or other international bodies to rehabilitate his shattered country.
"There’s no future for any peace and prosperity in Syria as long as the Assad regime remains in power," stated Cadman.
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To that end, Cadman and his human rights law firm, Guernica 37, have called for Assad’s British wife, Asma, to be indicted by UK authorities for inciting and encouraging the commission of war crimes, through speeches being sympathetic to her husband’s policies.
Cadman doubts the Syrian government will cooperate. Likely it will just serve as one more effort by an international community that so far has failed to bring the once beautiful country back into civilization while the world community -- and mostly Syrians -- pay the price.