Dear President al-Assad

I write to thank the Syrian Arab Army
for its heroic rescue of Christians in the Qalamoun Mountain Range. I am
especially grateful for the spectacular victory at Yabroud, where the
Syrian Arab Army and Air Force liberated Christians and other Syrians
who had been held captive by terrorists for several years. We are deeply
grateful for the skill and valor displayed by Syrian troops who rescued
the 13 nuns who were kidnapped and used as human shields by the
cowardly jihadists at Yabroud.

It is obvious that the war in Syria has
largely been fought by vicious war criminals linked to al-Qaeda. Groups
like al-Nusra and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant routinely
commit war crimes as a matter of official policy. They proudly post
YouTube videos showing mass executions of prisoners of war, beheadings
of priests and other civilians, and even cannibalism. In Aleppo, last
June, al-Nusra boasted of forcing a mother to watch as they murdered her
14-year-old son by shooting him through the mouth and neck. It is
difficult to understand how any civilized nation can condone the actions
of such bloodthirsty criminals.

Clearly, the Syrian people have grown
weary of seeing foreign mercenaries enter their land to fight against
them. Your people suffered the criminal acts committed by those
jihadists, who came to rape and murder innocent Syrians. Now, even some
in the Western media are reporting that the rebels have lost the
war—that their cause has grown hopeless.
Yet to this day, few Americans realize
that the rebels in Syria are dominated by our arch-enemy, al-Qaeda. They
do not know that your enemies have sworn allegiance to the same
organization that, on September 11, 2001, crashed jetliners into the
Pentagon and the Twin Towers, killing over 3,000 innocent Americans.
Today, al-Qaeda-linked fighters use suicide bombs to murder helpless
women and children in your country, just as they slaughtered helpless
civilians here.
I cannot explain how Americans, who
suffered so grievously at the hands of al-Qaeda, were tricked into
supporting the jihadists. But I do know that many U.S. officials
disagree with equipping and training the terrorists who penetrate your
borders from the Kingdom of Jordan and through Turkey.
The worst possible outcome would be for
the rebels to seize the capital and raise the dreaded black flag of
al-Qaeda over Damascus. For that reason, the rebels have been denied
advanced weapons. Military planners know that the terrorists are
deceitful and untrustworthy. Nothing prevents them from turning
antiaircraft missiles against civilian aircraft. Were they were to seize
control of Syria’s reported arsenal of 4,000 MANPADS, terrorists could
turn airliners into fireballs at Dulles Airport, Heathrow, and
LaGuardia, paralyzing commercial aviation across the globe. Helping them
to do so is an act of utter madness
You have followed the practice of your
father by treating with respect all Christians and the small community
of Jews in Damascus. You defended their churches and the Jewish
synagogue, and you have permitted them to worship freely according to
their beliefs. I am grateful for that.
By contrast, wherever rebels have
seized control, they have acted as thieves, criminals and vandals. They
raped, tortured, kidnapped and beheaded innocent people. They defiled
the churches. The terrorists imposed the loathsome “dhimmitude” tax on
Christians and Jews, treating them as subhuman. I pray that your army
will drive the jihadists from Syria, so that Syrians of all faiths may
live together in peace.
Until then, I pray that the Syrian
armed forces will continue to exhibit extraordinary gallantry in the war
against terrorists. Please convey my personal thanks to the Syrian Arab
Army and Air Force for protecting all patriotic Syrians, including the
religious minorities who face death at the hands of the foreign
jihadists.
Sincerely,
Richard H. Black Senator of Virginia, 13th District

Global Research