
© AP/Hassan AmmarSyrian children buy vegetables in the town of Madaya in the Damascus countryside, Syria, May 18, 2017
In revisiting Madaya and al-Waer after their reclamation by the Syrian army, it soon became clear from Bartlett's conversations with residents just how distorted the reporting of corporate media about their fate under "rebel" control had been.In the last year, the Syrian cities of Aleppo and Madaya have become familiar to the international community as they have become subjects of heavy propaganda amid corporate media coverage to justify a so-called "humanitarian" war. Another area used in the war propaganda was al-Waer, a district of Homs occupied by the Western armed and financed "moderates" of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), al-Nusra (al-Qaeda in Syria), Ahrar al-Sham, and terrorists showing allegiance to Daesh (ISIS).
When I again visited Syria in June 2017, Aleppo, Madaya and al-Waer had been restored to peace, following the evacuation of these armed groups. I was able to visit these areas and speak to residents about the reality of life under the rule of these factions.
In Part I of my coverage August 2017 article
focused on Aleppo and the life of civilians there under "rebel" occupation - which included many dangers, deprivations, and horrors, not the least of which was susceptibility to extra-judicial trials and executions.
Here, I look at Madaya and al-Waer, again from on the ground, to give a voice to Syrians who have been marginalized by the Western corporate media, which has instead glorified the insurgency.
Comment: One can't help but wonder if the boys were recently vaccinated.