President of the Syrian National Coalition, Anas al-Abda, on Monday held a press conference in rural Aleppo to talk about the war crimes the Russian and Assad regime are committing in Idlib province and the failure of the international community to assume its duty with regards to putting an end to these crimes.
Al-Abda stressed that the battle for Idlib is “the battle of the revolution as a whole,” stressing the need for “political and civil bodies to stand by our hero fighters in the Syrian National Army and the National Liberation Front.”
“We have no other option but to remain steadfast and prevent Russia from achieving military victory and imposing its vision regarding the political solution and rehabilitating the Assad regime.”
“Though we were unassisted at the beginning, we went through with the revolution with utmost determination. We will not be discouraged if we were let down by whatever party. We have remained steadfast in our revolution for the past nine years and will not give up until victory,” added Al-Abda.
Al-Abda explained that he met with commanders of the Syrian National Army and the National Liberation Front to discuss the latest developments on the ground as he praised the heroic resistance those fighters have put up in recent weeks. He said that “we have many options that are being considered to fend off this fierce assault.”
“The decision to confront the regime and open new battle fronts is our decision as revolutionaries as was evidenced by what has happened in recent weeks.” He emphasized that the Syrian National Army and the National Liberation Front are able to turn the tide once the efforts and capabilities are united.
Furthermore, Al-Abda pointed out that the developments in Idlib will be reflected in the whole region and Europe, especially since the recent Russian aggression has caused the displacement of more than 80,000 households. He pointed out that displaced people will try to “reach Europe if the aggression against them continues. Those people tried their best and endured immense suffering. Nobody can stand up to parents trying to protect their children from certain death.”
He stressed that the position of the countries “that are supposed to be friendly to the Syrian people and supporters of their cause does not meet the expectations.” He said: “We are constantly putting pressure on them. The world seemingly does not care at all about what is happening in Idlib.”
Al-Abda also said that the “Coalition informed representatives of 22 friendly and sisterly states of our anger at the international community’s inaction towards the regime and Russia’s atrocious crimes against civilians in Idlib.”
He indicated that the Coalition called on representatives of states to put pressure on Russia as a major party to the conflict. “Russia uses the truces as a tactic through which it works to destroy whole towns and displace the population.”
Al-Abda also pointed out that the Coalition will launch an international campaign for Idlib and Aleppo. It will visit three major European capitals, namely Berlin, Paris, and Brussels as well as New York to communicate with the United Nations and the US on the latest developments. “We have clear requests that we will make regarding stopping the aggression and supporting the displaced people.”
“The international community has been trying for years to push us toward the political process to achieve a political transition in the country, but facts on the ground showed that the regime believes only in a bloody military solution. The continued onslaught and open war on the Syrian people and civilians and facilities will not only destroy the infrastructure, but also the political process.”
Al-Abda went on to say that the Coalition’s legal committee had already prepared legal and human memos to prosecute war criminals, especially those that took place during the past three months, specifically the targeting of civilians and infrastructure. “We are communicating with international investigators and handing them documents about the war crimes the Assad regime, Russia, and Iranian militias are
committing against the Syrian people in Idlib. (Source: Syrian National Coalition’s Media Department)
