Man, this footage almost leaves you speechless.
The war-torn rubble you just saw used to be the third largest city in Syria – home to more than ONE MILLION people – until years of civil war saw it shelled and mortared into oblivion, leaving virtually no signs of life at all. Really hard to imagine something like this until you see it with your own eyes.
The astonishing footage was shot by a group called Russia Works, whose founder, Alexandr Pushin, has affiliations with the Kremlin and Russian state television. My guess is, the footage is likely a propaganda tool aimed at naysayers of Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, who has been at the center of the country’s civil war, which began in 2011.
The Huffington Post added even more background to the startling sights:
Homs once was Syria’s third-largest city. It has hosted clashes between forces loyal to President Bashar Assad and rebel groups since 2011. The last rebel pocket left the city late last year under a cease-fire agreement the United Nations said had “great value” toward a possible truce.
Destruction shown in the video is mind-boggling. As Mashable notes, aside from a white car and a glimpse of several kids, the video suggests there are few humans left in the city. Thousands have been killed since fighting began and many others have fled. ISIS has been expanding toward the city over the past months.
A video that leans toward propaganda was released by Russia Works in October, which shows pro-Assad forces destroying a suburb in the capital of Damascus thought to contain rebel forces. The Russian government has long supported the Assad regime and has ramped up airstrikes throughout Syria in recent months.
And here we are in good ol’ America using our drones to capture footage of wild parties and surf sessions. Just incomprehensible.
[h/t Huffington Post]