Monday’s devastating earthquakes killed hundreds of Syrians and shattered critical infrastructure already battered by the West’s decade-long dirty war against the Middle Eastern nation. But Washington has refused to budge on its sanctions, which aptly bear the name of an ancient Roman emperor known for his cruelty.
The United States will not be lifting its Caesar Act sanctions or other restrictions against Syria following Monday’s quakes, State Department spokesman Ned Price has indicated.
The US has ruled out contacting the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad despite this week’s devastating earthquakes. Türkiye and Syria have been offered aid from numerous other countries after the natural disaster caused widespread destruction.
US State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters on Monday that Washington is “a partner to the people of Syria” but claimed it would be “ironic, if not even counterproductive, for us to reach out to a government that has brutalized its people over the course of a dozen years now.”
The death toll from a 7.8 magnitude earthquake and multiple aftershocks in Turkey and Syria rose to more than 5,000 on Tuesday as more bodies were pulled from the rubble of collapsed buildings.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the total number of deaths in Turkey had risen to 3,549 people. Turkey’s Vice President Fuat Oktay had said earlier that 20,534 people were injured.
The death toll across Turkey and Syria has surpassed 3,000 people and could spark a humanitarian crisis in that area of the world, according to NYTimes.
About 10,000 rescuers had been dispersed across southeast Turkey by late Monday. The Turkish health minister said as many as 3,000 buildings have collapsed.
CNN reported the total number injured in Turkey and Syria has climbed to 13,600. That number will likely rise.
NYT detailed on a map where all the large quakes struck earlier.
Humanitarian aid deliveries from Iran and Iraq were seen arriving at Damascus International airport early on Tuesday morning, following the deadly earthquakes across Syria and Turkey the previous day. Footage shows the cargo planes being unloaded, with cargo stamped with the logos of the Iraqi and Iranian Red Crescent humanitarian organisations. "The relief aid contains foodstuffs, medical supplies, blankets and necessary requirements," stated Yassin Sharif Al-Hujaimi, Charge' d'Affairs at the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Damascus.
The UK will send a team of search and rescue specialists, equipment and dogs to earthquake-stricken Turkey while the UK-funded White Helmets group will provide assistance in Syria, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said in a statement on Monday.
"The UK is sending immediate support to Turkey including a team of 76 search and rescue specialists, equipment and rescue dogs. In Syria, the UK-funded White Helmets have mobilized their resources to respond," he said. "We stand ready to provide further support as needed."
After a devastating earthquake hit Syria and Turkey, killing thousands of people, the US State Department showed no interest in lifting crippling economic sanctions on Syria that are specifically designed to prevent the country’s reconstruction.
Syrians suffering through years of war, displacement, and brutal weather are now facing the aftermath of a devastating earthquake that killed hundreds of people.
Millions of people in northwest Syria have been left vulnerable by 12 years of conflict, according to the United Nations, which says 2.9 million people in the region have been displaced and 1.8 million are living in camps.
US Central Command announced last week that it was involved in 43 operations against ISIS in Iraq and Syria in the month of January. Task & Purpose reported the monthly average for US operations against ISIS in 2022 was 26 per month, signaling that the US military is stepping up its assaults against the terror group.
A grief-stricken father has been pictured holding the hand of his 15-year-old daughter who was crushed to death beneath the rubble of a building in Turkey, which along with Syria has been rocked by a catastrophic earthquake disaster.
