For the first time in five years Christians in Aleppo were able to publicly celebrate Christmas this year.

http://nypost.com/2016/12/26/syrians...thedral-ruins/


They haven't been able to since 2011 for fear of shelling from and persecution by the 'pro democracy' forces western governments including the UK have been arming and supporting. I dare say those free weapons could have paid for a fair bit of social care for our elderly!

Cue pictures of nuns dancing and looking happy.

https://youtu.be/loZUpJGG9z4

The resilience of faith.

I love the dancing nuns.

Pictures here are also very moving:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...n-convent.html

May peace be restored to Syria very soon.

Totally agree.

Given only Assad can deliver a moderately secular state and defeat ISIS maybe it's about time we backed the only side that can end this instead of backing the supposed 'pro democracy' rebels who just happen to ally with al Qaeda and persecute Chrstians because we put oil and gas supplies for Europe over the lives of the Syrian people.

Perhaps the new US President can bring a change to the disastrous half hearted policies we in the west have supported since 2011 which have contributed to so many needless deaths.

I don't understand this. Assad is supposed to be the bad guy

Donald likes Vladimir. Vladimir is Assad's best mate.

Therefore Assad is fast becoming the nice guy that everyone wants to work with.

A few years ago, we in the west wanted him to cave in to the terrorists

Or more accurately the only way this war is ever going to end anytime soon is with an Assad victory which will also facilitate the defeat of ISIS there.

He isn't a nice guy but he did operate a relatively secular state until 2010 where all Syrians religious groups including Christians co existed.

The alternative is more war, more deaths, more refugees and more chaos - facilitated by half hearted western governments arming the rebels but not fully committing and prolonging the war. Why exactly is the UK, France and the US in effect arming and backing al Qaeda?!

This war needs to end and it needs to end soon. And if that means people in Europe need to pay a bit more for their oil and gas well that is a price worth paying - cos no one seems to be clear what happened between 2008 when we were lauding Assad and 2011 when we decided he had to go.

If the fighting is sorted out in Syria it will just start up somewhere else there. Has there ever been harmony and peace in the Middle East for maybe more than a couple of weeks or so?It's what they do, it is even bred in them, to pick a fight and war with one another, in some cases I doubt they even know what they are fighting for, or why.