Syria's Suffering Continues

Red Cross and Red Crescent rescue crews evacuated a few wounded and sick women and children from the besieged Syrian city of Homs on Feb. 24, even as Syrian government forces continued shelling parts of the city—especially the neighborhood of Baba Amr, a bastion of antigovernment sentiment. The civilian evacuations came as representatives of world powers met in Tunisia and called for a political solution in Syria, as well as what one diplomat called a “tsunami wave” of pressure that would peel away internal support for the embattled regime. Homs has now endured almost four weeks of Syrian army attacks with artillery and heavy weapons. Hundreds have been killed or wounded and neighborhoods demolished. Residents have been living in makeshift shelters and were running low on food, medical and other supplies. The Syrian opposition claims more than 8,000 people have been killed since the uprising began last March, and a U.N. report released on Feb. 23 accused the Assad regime of “crimes against humanity.”