Aleppo: World must help, but only Syria can stop the carnage

THE images of destruction and slaughter from the ruins of the Syrian city of Aleppo, one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities, are horrifying and should distress any human being.

Bombs raining non-stop and indiscriminately on traumatised families trapped in what remains of their homes. Besieged civilians describing the atrocities committed in the city and pleading for help from an indifferent world. And most heartbreaking: Children facing death staring through the cameras directly at us who sit secure in the safety of our home and community. 

Many Americans and Europeans are pointing accusing fingers at their governments for allowing this human catastrophe to happen and are urging them to "do something" to stop the carnage and punish those responsible for it. Unfortunately, similar images of the fire-bombing of Warsaw and Dresden and of the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II are imprinted in our minds. And we recognise that wars have been, and will continue to be, part of the tragic human condition.