Putin Continues to Support al-Assad

                



               BBC and a multitude of other news sources have been reporting on Vladimir Putin's continued support of Bashar al-Assad, Syria's dictator. Syrian and Russian state media said on Saturday that two Russian cargo planes with 80 tons of humanitarian aid had landed at Latakia - a stronghold of President Assad. Since 2011, Syria has been in a bloody civil war between Muslim extremists such as ISIS and the Assad's military- mostly Christians. Putin released a statement telling other European countries that they should get involved to combat the deluge of refugees into Turkey and Greece. He has also been pointing fingers at the United States for not getting involved in the war- one which has violated the United Nations' idea of human rights on numerous occasions. Assad has been caught using chemical weapons on children and the opposing side has bombed schools. Putin is using the inconvenience of the refugee situation to appear to be the "good guy". However, while the media is engrossed in the brutality of ISIS, Assad has been one of the least democratic rulers in the past 20 years. The refugees are peaceful Muslims and Christians caught in the crossfire between Assad and ISIS. This is not a war of religion but one of regimes.