U.S. President Donald Trump declared
“mission accomplished” in the wake of Friday’s strikes against the
Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad − but if anyone emerged as a winner it
was Mr. al-Assad.
In a video
posted on Twitter by his office Saturday morning, Mr. al-Assad was shown
walking calmly to work just hours after the cruise-missile strikes
ended. Later in the day, the Syrian military announced it was in full
control of Douma, the town on the outskirts of Damascus where Mr.
al-Assad’s forces are alleged to have used chlorine gas and perhaps
other chemical agents in an April 7 attack.
“All the terrorists have left Douma city,” the Syrian army said in its
own “mission accomplished” statement, declaring an end to the five-year
siege of the wider area known as East Ghouta. The Army of Islam militia
that held Douma until the weekend said that it was forced to withdraw
after the attack that killed dozens.
Read more: Limited U.S. military action leaves al-Assad looking like the winner - The Globe and Mail
