Scott Jacob | Contributing Writer
In the most drastic demonstration against president Bashar al-Assad, an al-Qaeda-linked al-Nursa Front drove a truck filled with over a ton of volatile explosives into a busy checkpoint.
While the intended targets were government soldiers, most of the victims were civilians.
The blast caused a nearby petrol tanker to ignite and increase the area of destruction. Images from Syria TV showed multiple firemen battling the residual flames from the explosion.
Hama remains an important location in the Syrian conflict, as it hosted some of the first responses against al-Assad when the Syrian uprising began in March 2011.
Hama’s historical significance in the Syrian conflict runs deep. Former president Hafez al-Assad, the father of current president Bashar, ordered a crackdown in 1982 against the Sunni opposition Muslim Brotherhood. This devastating deployment of troops resulted in thousands of deaths, and the razing of Hama.
A highly anticipated international conference that will discuss possible action steps to end the civil war is being held in Geneva on November 23rd according to Arab League chief Nabil el Araby.
The most tangible plan is the hopeful cooperation of both sides through a transitional government structure once adopted by the government of Geneva in 2012.
The Syrian conflict has resulted in over 100,000 deaths, and two million displaced refugees.