An Abomination Beyond Comprehension (Draft).

Sub-title; "Operation Featherweight: Month 57, Week 3, Day 1"

In February 2019 the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF/QSD) liberated the Hajin Pocket. This was the last holdout of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). In the SDF controlled area of northern Syria designated "Shangri-La."

The remnants of ISIL within Shangri-La were forced into a tiny patch of scrubland between the towns of Baghouz Fawqani and Marashidah. This area has been designated; "Camp Futility."

Since mid-February the SDF have been trying to gently ease the ISIL fighters in Camp Futility into surrender. A process that has been slowed by the fact that ISIL hold a significant number of civilian hostages which they have been using as human shields.

Today (19/3/19) it is being reported that the SDF have taken control of Camp Futility. Whatever ISIL fighters which remain are holding out right on the banks of the Euphrates River. If they retreat any further they will literally fall into the water.

I currently feel more like an historian of the war in Syria. Rather than an active participant. So here I'm not going to get sucked into the detail of the SDF's ongoing operation.

Instead I am going to address the issue of the large numbers of ISIL prisoners the SDF have taken during the liberation of the Hajin Pocket. This is an issue that the British media have highlighted globally through the specific case of Shamima Begum.

In order to do that I first have to address the apparently inability of many to comprehend the scale and severity of the crimes of which ISIL stand accused.

Britain continues to find itself in the saga of Brexit. Britain's exit from the European Union (EU).

An opponent of Brexit, or; "Remoaner" who has recently risen to prominence is the Member of Parliament (MP) Anna Soubry. She recently quit the Conservative government in protest over Brexit. In order to join the "Independent Group". A loose grouping of MP's opposed to Brexit.

In what is starting to resemble a midlife crisis Anna Soubry has also become a very vocal supporter of Shamima Begum. Calling for her to be allowed to escape any form of justice by being granted asylum in the UK.

On January 7th 2019 (7/1/19) Anna Soubry was giving a live TV interview, expressing her opposition to Brexit. On what is essentially a public street outside of the Parliament building.

During this interview a group of protesters started melodically chanting; "Soubry is a Nazi!" Very much in the style of a football crowd.

Anyone with experience of football crowds would have found this highly amusing. Rather than in any way violent or intimidating.

Anna Soubry however was appalled by the violent attack she'd been subjected to. Other MP's joined her call and demanded the police provide them with increased protection from this violence and intimidation.

One man, James Goddard, has even been prosecuted by police over the incident. He actually appeared in Court today where he sensibly plead not guilty, citing the defence of fair comment.

If melodically chanting a slogan which does not even contain foul or abusive language is how Britain's politicians, police and Courts define "violence" then war will absolutely blow their minds.

War is an complete abomination. An abomination to all that humans hold dear. It is an environment where you are not just allowed to kill other human beings. You are actively encouraged to do so.

That killing is not merely a matter of clicking a button on a keyboard and watching a bomb fall to it's target on a TV screen. It is not even a matter of staring through the sights of a gun as you fire bullets at someone a few metres/yards away.

In war you may be called upon to kill by smashing a bayonet or knife through another person's skull. You may even be called upon to beat someone to death with your bare hands.

Unless you have thrown a punch or taken a punch in anger it is hard to understand how much that asks of you.

To keep going when the other person is begging for mercy. Or when they have lost consciousness. To keep going even when the tiny bones in your own hands have been broken.

One of the things which has really fuelled public anger at Shamima Begum is a claim she made that the May 22nd 2017 (22/5/17) Manchester Arena bombing was justified. This is where 22 civilians were blown up by a suicide bomber as they gathered for a pop concert.

I covered the Manchester Arena bombing extensively at the time.

In part that was because it was thing that everybody was talking about globally. It was also because it happened in my native Britain. Meaning I was equipped with the local knowledge to explain it to people around the globe.

The fact of the matter though is that the Manchester Arena bombing was a minor incident.

It occurred as the battle to liberate the Iraqi city of Mosul thundered on. Particularly at that stage the Battle for Mosul saw ISIL make widespread use of a common tactic of theirs. Suicide Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (SVBIED's).

ISIL would drive these large, Oklahoma City sized, truck bombs at speed towards the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) lines within the city. They would then detonate them in packed city streets surrounded by civilian homes.

At that time of the Manchester Arena bombing ISIL were doing this in Mosul several times a day. Civilians were being killed in their hundreds.

The truly shocking fact is that in war ISIL's use of these SVBIED's is considered a legitimate, if somewhat reckless, military tactic. As are the airstrikes used to destroy the SVBIED's before they reached their targets.

Just this past weekend we've seen the mass shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand. In which 50 people were killed in two Mosques.

Again I stand by my decision to give almost three days of coverage to that one incident. Nor do I seek to minimise it. However while covering it I did feel a little bit guilty about things in Syria I was being forced to ignore.

As they've been eased out of Camp Futility ISIL have taken to releasing large groups of their civilian hostages.

Amid those groups of civilians one, sometimes more, ISIL fighters have been hidden themselves wearing a Suicide Vest (S-Vest). When the group arrives at the SDF lines the suicide bomber sets off their bomb.

Due to covering events in New Zealand I don't know the exact number of these attacks or their exact death toll.

However I do know that on Friday (15/3/19) alone there were at least three attacks. There have been reports of them happening on an hourly basis.

Despite its horrors there are people who treat war as their chosen profession. They train for it day in and day out. Sometimes they're forced to do it for real.

Even amongst these people there are still some acts considered so atrocious and so appalling that they must be banned. These forbidden acts are the offences created under the so-called; "Laws of War."

The primary legal instruments which make up the Laws of War are the Geneva Conventions. They are supplemented by various other pieces of law which deal with specific issues in detail.

For example the use of Chemical and Biological weapons in war is covered by the 1925 Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or other Gases, and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare. Or 1925 Geneva Protocol for short.

In terms of the use of Biological Weapons the 1925 Geneva Protocol has been superseded by the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention. In terms of Chemical Weapons the 1925 Geneva Protocol has been superseded by the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention.

As within civilian law the implementation of the Laws of War is governed and guided by the precedent of past decisions and relevant case law.

In the wake of the shootings in New Zealand a meme was circulated on social media. It showed the Prophet Muhammad's instructions to soldiers. Islam's code of ethical war.

Like the Catholic Church's encyclicals on the concept of; "A Just War" the Prophet's code of ethical war has no specific legal standing. However looking at the two you can see how many of the Prophet's prohibitions have become offences under the Geneva Conventions.

Things such as avoiding wanton destruction. Not attacking sites with protected status, such as places of worship and hospitals. Not killing protected classes of people, such as civilians, medical staff and prisoners.

So when I say that the World gathered to write the Laws of War I mean the World gathered to write them. Muslims were most certainly part of the process. Arabic is one of the just six official languages of the United Nations (UN).

Above and beyond the Laws of War you have a class of actions so appalling and so serious they are considered crimes against all of humanity.

The first use of the term; "Crimes Against Humanity" came in Second Hague Convention of 1899. A precursor to the Geneva Conventions. The first attempt to codify Crimes Against Humanity came in the 1945 Nuremberg Principles and associated Nuremberg Code.

Currently the primary legal instrument defining these Crimes Against Humanity is the 1998 Rome Statute. Specifically Article 7 which lists the 11 specific offences.

Unlike the Laws of War the 1998 Rome Statute applies both in times of war and in times of peace.

The most widely known Crime Against Humanity is that of; "Extermination." Commonly referred to as; "Genocide."

Probably the most famous example of genocide is the Nazi Holocaust. During which 11 million civilians were exterminated, including 6 million Jews.

It was this which prompted the World to first attempt to pass a specific law forbidding it. The Nuremberg Principles.

It also prompted the creation of Holocaust Memorial Day on January 27th each year. This gathers politicians the World over to together to mumble the phrase; "Never Again."

To me though it is another genocide which helps you truly understand the offence of; "Extermination."

That is 1975 to 1979 genocide committed by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. Estimates of the number killed there range from between 1.7 million  and 3 million people. Roughly 25% of Cambodia's population at the time.

Most of those killed during the Khmer Rouge's genocide were buried in mass graves in rural fields. Amongst survivors of the genocide these became known as; "The Killing Fields."

Of those roughly 20,000 mass grave sites many have since been excavated and memorials and museums  built in their place. As a memorial and tribute to the dead.

Some, such as Wat Champuk Ka'Ek, feature vast rooms. Stacked from floor to ceiling with human bones and human skulls. The unidentified remains recovered from the Killing Fields.

It is only when you see one of those rooms, finding yourself totally consumed by death that you start to understand the meaning of the term; "Genocide."

It is only then that you understand that; "Never Again" is not just some slogan you mumble your way through once a year.

It too has meaning. It must be backed by action.

At 19:10 on 19/3/19 (UK date) I'm afraid I'm going to have to pause there.

Edited at around 16:00 on 18/4/19 (UK date) to copy & paste from another tab;

Another Crime Against Humanity which is particularly relevant to ISIL is that of slavery. Both traditional and sexual.

On February 1st 2019 (1/2/19) the SDF captured a German ISIL member, Martin Lemke, along with his wife. At the time of their capture the couple had in their possession a young Yezidi woman whom they were keeping as a slave.

Again take a moment to think about what that truly means.

At some point these young newlyweds had gone to an out-of-town retail park. However rather than picking up a washing machine or a used car they brought another human being. A young woman to be raped by the husband and used by the wife to do chores.

It is like a scene from the TV show; "A Handmaid's Tale." For many that is just a TV show but for some that has been real life under ISIL. A point I think the program makers have tried to convey to their audience.

Occasionally civilised societies experience case similar to ISIL's behaviour. For example the 2013 Ariel Castro case in Cleveland, Ohio, US. There Ariel Castro had kidnapped three young woman and kept them prisoner as sexual slaves.

When the Ariel Castro case was uncovered the reaction of American society, along with the wider World, was one of shock and disgust. The American apparatus of state, the criminal justice system, did not hesitate to swiftly and severely punish these clear crimes.

Eventually Ariel Castro was sentenced to a whole life term in prison plus another 1,000 years. That meant he would spend the rest of his natural life in prison. Then remain in prison for another milena after his death. A month after being sentenced he killed himself.

Within the society ISIL created crimes such as Ariel Castro's were not hidden away or severely punished when uncovered. They were conducted in the open and considered a normal part of society.

Currently there is a case going through the Courts in Germany. Involving a 27 year old female ISIL member Germany allowed to return from Syria.

The allegation against "Jennifer W" is that she purchased a Yezidi woman and her 5 year old daughter as domestic slaves. Jennifer W kept the 5 year old child chained up in the garden of her home like a dog. Denied food, water or shelter in the blazing desert heat the child died of heat exhaustion.

This is not something ISIL's own police investigated or attempted to prosecute. In fact Jennifer W was a member of ISIL's al-Khansaa Brigade morality police.

Slavery and particularly sexual slavery are not just a normal, everyday part of the society ISIL created. They are something that is condoned and actively encouraged by that society.

ISIL even went so far as publishing and distributing manuals on how to keep even pre-pubescent children as sex slaves. Rather like how a government in a normal society would publish a guide telling you how to pay your taxes or register to vote.

Such is the scale and horror of ISIL's crimes that I've long since been unable to think about them in their entirety.

Instead I've only been able to see the war as a series of small, technical problems or puzzles. Each small puzzle must be solved in order to the next one.

It is only through solving this series of technical problems that ISIL can be defeated and the complete horror of the group can be brought to an end.

One of the main reasons its taken me so long to address this issue is that doing so forces me to look at the entire cliff-face as it were.

Something which even I find rapidly becomes completely overwhelming.

16:15 on 18/4/19 (UK date).