The building to the left was hit directly and fire erupted. The concussion was evident by the pile of rubble falling from the brick facade. There is a hole in the brick where more rubble appears. The building to the right shows rubble falling away from the hole in the brick building. The fallen rubble does not show any scorching from fire. The shingles are intact and the rubble of that kind is settled in one spot where concussion ended. The building on the right was on fire, so why was the rubble in the foreground saved from scorching?
The physics of the picture dictate the buildings to the left were hit with a concussive force disrupting the construction of the buildings and igniting them. The rubble is all moving in one direction toward the photographer.
Unfortunately, the picture does not reveal the number of people dead due to the shelling of these buildings or why they were targeted. The accusation by the Syrian government that these were places of where rebels lived is now mute to investigation. There are no Homs citizens in this area of the city to report that reality.
When I think of what the people want in the way of democracy and whether or not there were rebels to be contended with I would expect reports from the people leaving for refuge that they were being attacked by rebels and not the government. No one, including the refugees in Lebanon have reported rebels were killing them.
I believe Assad was seeking to close the borders of Syria to corral people into areas within Syria where he could carry out shelling to kill them. It doesn't make sense a benevolent national leader would close the borders to refugees to trap them into being killed by rebels when he could not control those rebels in causing the deaths of citizens.
I believe Assad knows if he went after the refugees outside the borders of Syria would result in attacks on him by NATO and very justified for it. I sincerely believe Assad is a very real danger to the region for many reasons and the attack helicopters were to only be the beginning of an escalation to any whom questioned him.
That is why the United Nation's efforts are problematic. While appearing to be willing to cooperate, Assad always retreats to the power of annihilation available to him. He wants control. He doesn't care how he gets it or how far the reach is. I appreciate President Putin's intervention with helicopters to circumstances with potential to escalate to the entire region if assistance was supplied to the Syrian government to do so. I would hate to think Assad was the impetus to an international confrontation. No one really needs that, do they?
Mission creep is a terrible problem The West has as a means to an end with a political system entrenched with Neocons. Sometimes Russia and China does not appreciate those dynamics as much as they should. Syria's war is best contained with limited munitions and deaths. Seriously. Whoever expected Iraq to light up knowing Osama bin Laden was between Afghanistan and Pakistan? Containment. It is the best outcome to ambitious dictators.
Syrian authorities approve ICRC evacuation of civilians from rebel-held areas of Homs and distribution of humanitarian aid (click here)
Associated Press in Beirut
guardian.co.uk Thursday 21 June 2012 06.20 EDT
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said it will try on Thursday to evacuate civilians from the Syrian city of Homs.
ICRC spokesman Rabab al-Rifai said that in addition to the planned evacuations of the wounded, the ill and others wanting to leave rebel-held areas, the organisation would also distribute humanitarian aid including medical kits in the neighbourhoods that have endured shelling and clashes for the past 10 days.
Activists said the shelling of Homs continued on Thursday, killing two people.
Homs, Syria's third largest city, has been one of the hardest-hit areas since the uprising against Bashar al-Assad's regime began 15 months ago. Rebels control several neighbourhoods, which government troops have attacked intensely over the past two weeks....
