ALEPPO, Syria — A startling new phenomenon has begun to emerge in the protracted Syrian civil war and has solidified as a systemic tactic used liberally by both sides of the conflict: the deliberate targeting of innocent civilians. Aside from the obvious sectarian dimension of some of the violence, usually a Syrian’s only crime is to be unfortunate enough to be a resident of a targeted town, village or neighborhood, and automatically assumed to be a base of support for whichever side controlled that area. This, of course, is an irrational way to conduct a war, as the strategic goal should be to win as much popular support as possible without alienating any significant portion of the population. Nevertheless, the warring sides in Syria seem to have decided that exacting terrible vengeance and retribution on the innocent is the most convenient way to vent their anger and hatred.
A case in point that clearly illustrates the ludicrous nature of this inhumane conflict is what happened to the Sheikh Maksud neighborhood in Aleppo. When the neighborhood was still controlled by the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, it was regularly shelled by rebels from the nearby Bustan al-Basha area, under the pretext that it was home to pro-regime militias. The casualties were mostly civilians. Later, when the rebels stormed the neighborhood and took it over in March 2013, it was the regime that did the shelling, and once again the victims were overwhelmingly innocent people.
