Up to 250 Assad Regime Soldiers Killed in al-Ghouta Near Damascus

Quite naturally there has been a lot of attention regarding the dire situation in Northern Aleppo as the Assad regime has made advances in recent days under the cover of Russian air strikes and provoking a new wave of refugees fleeing the Assad regime's advances. The situation there is most dire and is most worthy of attention.

Meanwhile near Damascus an Assad regime advance into territory held by a Salafist rebel group named Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam) went dreadfully wrong and as many as 250 Assad regime soldiers got killed.

Hundreds of Syrian army soldiers have been killed on the outskirts of al-Ghouta, east of the capital Damascus, The New Arab has learned. 

And Assad loyalists have been sternly criticising the regime after a video emerged online, which appears to be filmed by Jaish al-Islam fighters as they mow down as many as 250 soldiers in a prolonged hail of gunfire. ("Assad soldiers criticise regime for negligence in army 'massacre,'" The New Arab, February 10, 2016.)

The leader of this militia had been killed in a pro-Assad airstrike on December 25, 2015 but clearly this militia has maintained itself well enough to inflict a blow such as this despite that reversal. This dire result indicates that the plan the Assad regime soldiers were trying to implement was severely flawed.

Only a political solution can end this severe crisis and ensue the end of violence and prevent Syrians from getting killed. However to this day the Assad regime seems determined and convinced it can simply shoot its way to victory. Political solutions are needed.