Syrian President Bashar Assad visited soldiers on March 18 in the city of East Ghouta, which has suffered massive aerial bombardments in recent weeks.
In the first part of the video, which was published by the Syrian News Agency, the Syrian president is seen personally driving his car on his way to East Ghouta, all the while talking to the camera about the war and his concern for the citizens emerging from it. Upon his arrival at East Ghouta, he was received with shouts of “with our souls and our blood we will redeem you, oh Bashar!” The Syrian president said to the soldiers: “Today, you are fighting the battle of the whole world. Every bullet that you fire, in order to kill a terrorist, changes the world order.”
Bashar Assad: “We are going to Ghouta to see what is going on there, to see the areas that were liberated by the armed forces. We are entering Ghouta from the east, from Al-Nashabiyah.
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“This is the area of Dir Salman, just before Al-Nashabiyah. Of course, all these areas were under the control of the militants. As a matter of fact, in the areas that we are driving through right now, on every meter there might be a drop of blood of a Syrian fighter.”
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“We Will Be Facing a Generation That Lived for Five Years Under Dark Ideology and in Ignorance Reminiscent of the Middle Ages. Many of Them Might Turn Out to Be Illiterate, So We Are Facing the Great Challenge of Reintegrating This Generation”
“We saw today that the citizens who got out … Some of them fled under gunfire toward the army’s checkpoints. This is a real embarrassment—not for the terrorists, because they are merely pawns … We consider them to be inconsequential. They are pawns that are moved right and left. But for countries that are completely invested in the war against Syria, this is a real embarrassment, because their main claim has always been that they have the support of the people. Without this, there can be no legitimacy for any proposal or action. So when we see that all the people are returning to the bosom of the state, it stresses what we have been saying all along—that the people want the state.
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“It is painful to see people who are forced, by the war and the terrorists, to leave their places of residence and become homeless for days. Perhaps the most painful thing about this situation is to see the children. In the short term, this situation may be resolved. The state will definitely fulfill its duty. Vast amounts of humanitarian aid [are distributed] each day, in addition to shelters that are being established in an urgent manner, in order to provide the families with places in which to live and sleep. But if you think about the long term, we will be facing a generation that lived for five years under dark ideology and in ignorance reminiscent of the Middle Ages. Many of them might turn out to be illiterate. So we are facing the great challenge of reintegrating this generation.”
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“Every Bullet That You Fire in Order to Kill a Terrorist Changes the World Order. Every Tank Driver Who Advances Even a Single Meter Is Changing the Political Map of the World.”
Syrian Officer: “Attention!”
Bashar Assad: “God bless you. Congratulations!”
Syrian Officer: “Thank you, Mr. President.”
Syrian Soldiers: “With our souls and our blood we will redeem you, Bashar! With our souls and our blood we will redeem you, Bashar! With our souls and our blood we will redeem you, Bashar! With our souls and our blood we will redeem you, Bashar! With our souls and our blood we will redeem you, Bashar!”
Bashar Assad: “First of all, congratulations to us Syrians. Congratulations to you.
[…]
“Today, you are fighting the battle of the whole world. Every bullet that you fire, in order to kill a terrorist, changes the world order. Every tank driver who advances even a single meter is changing the political map of the world.”
[…]
Syrian Soldiers: “With our souls and our blood we will redeem you, Bashar! With our souls and our blood we will redeem you, Bashar!”
