Assad regime is enemy of humanity

■ The heartbreaking and horrific pictures of toddlers being treated after an apparently premeditated toxic chemical attack in a rebel-held Syrian suburb of Douma is unconscionable and a shame on

the perpetrators, whom undoubtedly are the enemies of humanity. Even after decades since World War II, the world is still reeling from the memories of the barbaric gas chambers used by the Nazis in extermination camps, where children, women and men were murdered en masse.

Shockingly, the brutal and murderous Assad regime’s heinous act of targeting the children is no less than the Nazi gas chambers, and reflects the unethical and inhuman advances in chemical warfare that can be used to wipe out or maim the entire population. Sadly, the most vulnerable victims are the unsuspecting children, the sick, the old and the disabled folks. It is highly likely that targeting civilians with toxic chemicals may lead to reflexive counter-measures by the usage of weapons of mass destruction, and considering the high-tech nuclear capabilities of nations involved in this proxy war, I am afraid a full-scale nuclear and chemical war could be a reality soon.

I hope the players in any war or global conflict, be it Russia or Iran, realise that taking sides and proxy support of any regime that indulges in unconventional chemical and nuclear warfare, is like inviting a global catastrophe by signing off on a self-destructive death warrant.

Let’s also hope the international community rallies to help the children and other civilians targeted by chemical weapons, and restrains the perpetrators. Above all, that they work toward outlawing and destroying all stockpiles of chemical weapons that have the potential of enacting another Hiroshima, or much more in this 21st century.

Atul M Karnik Hobart Street, Woodside, New York