On April 13, 2018, President Donald Trump announced that the United States, France and Britain had launched military strikes in Syria to punish President Bashar Assad for a suspected chemical attack against civilians and to deter him from doing it again. Trump says the U.S. is prepared to exert sustained pressure on Assad, says BBC.

The United States has now bombed the two major players in the war – President Bashar Assad’s military, and the IS – with this attack against the Syrian government. IS is seeking the acquirement of Syrian territory and is prepared to take this territory from whoever stands in their way, including the Syrian government, rebel groups, Kurdish groups and tribes.

This raises the crucial question of, what goal is the United States hoping to achieve?

During Obama’s presidency, his objective was to shrink the United States military footprint in the Middle East and resist pressure to take military action in the wake of Syria’s 2011 uprising, says NPR. Although the former president did not launch an attack against the Syrian government, he did launch the bombing campaign against the IS as it expanded rapidly back in 2014.

Although many are focused on and concerned about President Trump’s aim in this war, a large number of individuals have voiced sympathy for the innocent civilians who have been affected by the war in Syria. CNN News released a photo gallery full of images of the debris, violence, and suffering the country has endured.

While many individuals in the U.S. have inquired about the adoption of Syrian children, the country’s laws have proven to be a inconvenient obstacle.

“Even without the chaos of civil war, Syria does not allow international adoption. As a Shari’ah law country, Syria does not recognize or provide for adoptions of Muslim children, according to the U.S. Embassy in Damascus” says the American Talk Show, Today.

However, as noble as the intentions of adoption are, Save the Children called it “misguided attention” and noted that international adoption should never be considered in the first phase of an emergency. Children separated from their families in a crisis are extremely vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation, said spokeswoman Francine Uenuma.

On January 28th of last year, U.S. President Trump signed an executive order banning some of the world’s most defenseless people. The order called, “Protection of the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States” banned people from Syria indefinitely and started a 90-day ban on visas for people from Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen — all predominantly Muslim countries.

This violence has left children, mothers, and families separated from one another. Fortunately, companies like Airbnb, Starbucks, and others have stepped up, offering free accommodation for those stranded as a direct result of this extremely hateful and intolerant policy, says Global Citizen.

Global Citizen has listed various methods that could be utilized to aid Syrian victims. They include: donating to, or volunteering with, the international rescue committee, international Red Cross, the White Helmets, reading their stories, and sharing their stories.