Exile says air strikes on Assad ‘necessary’

A St Andrews University graduate whose family was forced to flee the “two evils” of Syrian government barrel bombs and socalled Islamic State (IS) beheadings has described the recent military action by the USA, UK and France in Syria as “necessary and legitimate”.

In an exclusive interview with The Courier, Haian Dukhan, who left Syria in 2012 to study for his PHD in international relations at St Andrews University, said action against the regime that used chemical weapons against its own people was justified because President Assad had “crossed a red line”.

However, he warned that the main problem for such military action by western powers is the lack of a long-term vision for the future of Syria.

Haian, 36, who graduated from St Andrews last summer and is a teaching fellow in international relations at Leicester University, said: “A limited military strike could probably destroy some of the regime’s chemical facilities but it will not fully limit the capability of the Syrian regime to continue killing civilians.

“Some might wonder why Assad would use chemical weapons when he is already winning the war.

“In fact, the area that was targeted by chemical weapons was a very fortified area that the regime has besieged for more than seven years and wasn’t able to achieve any military advance in it.

“The purpose behind the use of the chemical weapons was to kill large numbers of people in a short period of time and send a message to the rebels entrenched in the area that if you don’t surrender, this will be your destiny.”

As someone who has been living in exile for around seven years, Haian says he can’t claim to speak for all Syrians who still endure the horrors of the war.

malexander@thecourier. co.uk

Picture: Steven Brown. Haian Dukhan agrees with action.