Syria dilemma: risk arming al-Qaeda or watch civilians die?
The west is caught on the horns of a dilemma: do nothing and watch more Syrians die, or send weapons, knowing that they may end up in the hands of al-Qaeda.
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The west is caught on the horns of a dilemma: do nothing and watch more Syrians die, or send weapons, knowing that they may end up in the hands of al-Qaeda.
Jihadist rebel group in Syria Al-Nusra announces it has joined forces with al-Qaeda’s Iraq branch to form a dominant militant force in the fight against President Bashar Assad’s regime.
Missile and mortar attacks in Aleppo and Syria, fierce clashes and claims of chemical weapon use – a typical week in Syria paints a grim picture of a country at war.
As part of our special Syria’s Descent series we are hoping to set up a live video chat directly between viewers and Alex Thomson – what would you ask?
Damascus probably sees more sectarian kidnaps now than anywhere else on earth. Hell – why qualify? More kidnaps full stop.
The leader of the opposition Syrian National Coalition (SNC) Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib resigns, in a blow to a diminishing moderate wing of the two-year uprising against President Bashar al-Assad’s rule.
As President Barack Obama warns Syria against using chemical weapons, it may be too late, according to Chief Correspondent Alex Thomson.
Syria asks the UN to independently investigate what it claims is the use of chemical weapons by “terrorist groups” – Syria’s name for rebels currently fighting government troops.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accuses the UK government of bullying and naivety over the conflict in his country, in a rare British newspaper interview.
More than a million people are likely to have fled Syria within the next few weeks, exceeding the UN’s “worst-case scenario”, according to Oxfam.
Syria’s foreign minister says the government is ready to hold talks with the opposition, but a rebel leader says there can be no dialogue while President Bashar al-Assad remains in power.
The new American Secretary of State, John Kerry, urges the Syrian opposition to attend an international meeting, promising the US is not planning “simply to talk”, but is “confident” of results.
President Assad should be investigated for “crimes against humanity and war crimes”, says the UN’s human rights chief, pointing to Channel 4 News footage as “actual evidence” of his war crimes.
Bulgarian ambassador Konstantin Dimitrov says that there will be no influx of Bulgarians coming to in Britain. He was also angry about the “defamation” by some of Bulgaria and its citizens.
I’ve updated my book Sandstorm with an epilogue, taking into account the killing of the US ambassador and other events in Libya. I also write on Mali, showing the links between events in the two countries.