I thought you might want to take a look at an e-mail I received today:

From: Samer Al Khateeb – Planet Syria info@planetsyria.org Subject: 5 things everyone should know

Date: August 21, 2015 at 3:27AM

Dear Friends,

Here are 5 things everyone should know about what is happening in Syria now.
1 – The Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad is killing at least 7 times more civilians than Isis.

2 – More than 11,000 barrel bombs made of scrap metal and high explosives have been rolled out of regime helicopters onto hospitals, homes and schools since the UN banned them. These aerial attacks are the biggest killer of civilians. They drive extremism.

3 – These barrel bombs are a leading cause of displacement, forcing refugees to cross the Mediterranean and other borders.

4 – Many of the barrel bombs are dropped on areas under siege. More than half a million people in Syria live in areas with no access to food, water or medicine since 2013, including the areas of Ghouta that were targeted by the sarin gas attacks in the same year.

5 – The international anti-Isis coalition is flying in the same airspace where many of these barrel bombs are dropped, choosing to look the other way.

There is no military solution to the fighting in Syria. But like in Bosnia, a no-fly zone can help protect civilians from the worst of the violence and encourage the fighting parties to come to the negotiating table.

Too many Syrians spend their days looking up at the sky, wondering when the next barrel bomb will drop and what it will hit. Today on the anniversary of the Ghouta chemical attack we are asking you to look up in solidarity with all those who continue on and join the call to #clearthesky. Find out how to take action at the event page here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1615390465405371/

Join hundreds of non-violent Syrian groups in asking for the international community to enforce the UN ban on barrel bombs with a Bosnia-style no-fly zone.

Thank you for standing with us. In solidarity,
Samer
Samer is an alias.