The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Monday warned that the lives of one million Syrian children living in Idlib could be at risk as the Assad regime forces and Russia have stepped up bombardment of residential areas and vital centers in the province.
Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said that said that 28 children have reportedly been killed in Idlib and western Aleppo in the past 36 hours. He said that the death toll included an entire family of seven.
The Syrian Coalition earlier underscored that the Assad regime and Russia were committing war crimes against civilians in Idlib as they continue to target residential areas and vital civilian centers.
Furthermore, three UNICEF-supported health facilities were also attacked, two of which are now out of service, Cappelaere added.
Assad regime and Russia’s military escalation has killed many civilians recently, including children and women. Idlib province became overcrowded following a series of mass forced displacement operations by the Assad regime, its Russian ally and the Iranian terrorist militias.
According to the UN estimates, four million people currently live in Idlib province. First Response Coordinators in northern Syria said that around 800,000 people live in makeshift camps and suffer dire humanitarian conditions.
The Syrian Coalition stressed the need for new measures by the international community to prevent the regime from launching new wave of airstrikes against Idlib province. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)