Local Syrian family sees hope in U.S. missile strike

A Syrian family who immigrated to the Puget Sound area one year ago told KIRO 7 they felt the American missile strike on a Syrian airfield was long overdue.

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Mustafa al-Mustafa’s family used to live 15 miles from where poisonous chemicals were released earlier this week. They know a person there, who lost 24 members of his family in a span of 10 minutes.

Through a translator, al-Mustafa said, “These children only needed air, and the air was poisoned. Even air is not allowed in Syria.”

He and his family moved to the U.S. after a seven-month vetting process, which is considered fast, because their older daughter needed treatment for cancer.

Now, a year after moving to the Seattle region, al-Mustafa said they are thankful to the American people, and to the Seattle community for welcoming them.

While he’s relieved his family is safe here, his heart is with the people of Syria.

“We were hoping never to see these pictures. And we pray for the safety of every child in this world,” he said.

He told KIRO 7 he hopes the U.S. continues to go after other military bases in Syria, because he believes that targets the root of the problem.

Many members of the local Syrian community were wary of President Donald Trump during the campaign, due to his comments about immigrants. But al-Mustafa said he diverged in his choice to support him, because he believed Trump would take action against the Syrian regime.

He invites everyone to join Syrian immigrants in a demonstration Sunday afternoon in Seattle, to condemn the actions of the Syrian government. He said he hopes Seattle residents can get to know their Syrian neighbors in the community.

Rep. Adam Smith, the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee released this statement about the U.S. strikes:

These strikes were a proportional response to Bashar al-Assad’s barbaric use of chemical weapons against his own people. However, going forward, we need a clear understanding of what President Trump’s policy means.

The use of chemical weapons is utterly abhorrent and banned by the international community, but the Syrian government’s other crimes against its own people are similarly unacceptable. One night of airstrikes will not change this fact, and President Trump should provide Congress and the American people with an explanation of his strategy, what happens next, and how he will deal with the repercussions of this situation.

We must also confront Russian responsibility in this sequence of events, which only prolonged the conflict and helped to create this humanitarian crisis. The Russian government must be held accountable for the ways it has enabled these abuses.

We must be absolutely clear on the fact that the Assad regime is illegitimate and stand solidly with the international community and the Syrian people on this point. That does not mean that the United States bears the responsibility for removing Assad through military action, but it does mean that we must work in concert with international partners toward an end-state where the Syrian government no longer takes these unacceptable actions against its people.