Activist Group Avaaz Asks Obama For Syria No-Fly Zone

Global online activist organization Avaaz called Thursday on U.S. President Barack Obama to establish a no-fly zone in Syria. .



The organization, which unites 41.5 million activists all over the world in an online platform, placed a full-page ad in the New York Times, asking: "President Obama, what are you waiting for ?"



"We hope to help Syrians who are trapped and are under chemical attack. The majority of Americans support the declaration of no-fly zone to save their lives and 1.930,775 people around the world are calling for action," it read. 



A photograph taken by Anadolu Agency -- which showed a child who escaped from the chemical weapons of the regime --  was used on the ad. 



Syrian President Bashar al-Assad agreed to allow a UN-led force to dismantle his country's declared chemical weapons stockpile two years ago.



The Obama administration verified last August that all declared chemical weapons had successfully been removed from the country and destroyed.



But that has not stopped reports of chlorine gas, which is not technically a prohibited chemical weapon, from allegedly being used by the regime on opposition forces and civilians.



A congressional committee heard Wednesday witness accounts of chlorine gas use by the regime.



The U.S. has so far ruled out establishing a no-fly zone over parts of Syria -- a proposal made by neighboring countries, particularly Turkey -- but witnesses before the committee said that a no-fly zone is the only option to stop Assad's barrel bomb attacks.



Turkey has for some time urged establishing a no-fly zone to keep Syrian military aircraft from attacking, but the Obama administration has been reluctant to pursue the strategy. - Ankara