by The Commentator on 5 April 2013 00:18

A Syrian doctor has accused the Assad regime of a new strategy in the civil-war-torn country.

Writing in The Lancet, one of the world's oldest medical journals, Dr. Mohamed Al-Khaled of the Schleswig-Holstein University Hospital says that the regime in Syria is now looking to starve its population rather than confront rebels. The strategy, if true, marks a change in Syria which will no doubt cause great concern to governments and humanitarian agencies worldwide.

Dr. Al-Khaled writes:

"After losing control of some cities, the Assad regime has changed its strategy; its intention is now to starve the people of these cities. Everyday necessities such as heating oil, infant formula, drinking water, and medicines are severely lacking in most cities in Syria. During these many months of turmoil, Syrian civilians have become acutely aware that their risk of being killed increases by simply leaving their homes to buy bread at their local bakery. The shelling of bakeries in Aleppo and other cities is no accident—it is part of the Assad regime's strategy to target civilians. Hundreds of civilians thus far have lost their lives inside and in front of bakeries while waiting to buy bread, an indispensable part of every meal in Syria."

Attacks such as the ones Al-Khaled writes about have been noted repeatedly over the past few months. In December 2012, Al Jazeera reported that, "At least 90 people were killed and scores of others injured in an air strike on a bakery in Syria's central Hama province..."

The crisis is apparently stretching aid agencies to the limit. The United Nations and United States are both expending vast resources to assist with the regime-inflicted humanitarian crisis. Dr. Al-Khaled however, also accuses the UN of standing by as hundreds perish daily.

The Syrian people, he argues, cannot understand why the world is not rushing to their aid.

"What are the differences between genocide and that which is happening in Syria? How many Syrian civilians have to be killed before the world says enough is enough?" he asks.

The United States has so far provided some $385 million for humanitarian aid, of which nearly $216 million has been spent on needs inside Syria, working through agencies such as the UNHCR and the World Food Program.

Meanwhile, over 6,000 people were killed in Syria in March, making last month the bloodiest of the two-year-old conflict.