Local Syrian community member reacts to Syrian violence

August 21, 2013 (CHICAGO)

Anti-government activists are accusing Syria's government of carrying out a toxic gas attack that killed at least 100 people, including many children as they slept.

Dr. Zaher Sahloul, a local Syrian community member, oversees the Syrian American Medical Society said that the current humanitarian efforts are not enough and that more action needs to be taken.

The reported death toll Wednesday would make this the deadliest alleged chemical attack in Syria's' civil war.

According to Dr. Sahloul, the attack area is in a large metropolitan area with a high concentration of civilians. In fact, he said that about 50 percent of the deaths so far are women and children.

Dr. Sahloul has spent the day e-mailing, Face-booking and Skyping other medical doctors and humanitarians in Syria. He heard from a doctor at a small medical center in Syria who said that the medical center had taken in 750 patients and 95 of these patients have died.

"We need to end the crisis, we need a no-fly zone and we have to move proactively and diplomatically to make sure that the regime in Syria understands that we are serious about what we say," said Dr. Sahloul.

Dr. Sahloul said the current situation in Syria is similar to past events in Bosnia. He also said that humanitarian efforts aren't enough and that people should be more pro-active in order to put an end to the violence, so no more innocent civilians and children are killed.

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