A local watchdog group said that the Assad regime and its allies have committed serious breaches of the Idlib agreement claiming the lives of hundreds of civilians and wounding thousands more as well as destroying many vital civilian centers.
In a new report issued on Friday, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said that bombings by the Assad regime and its allies have killed no fewer than 248 civilians in northern Syria since the Idlib agreement took effect on September 17, 2018.
The monitoring group said that it had recorded at least 4,594 breaches of the agreement by the Assad regime and its allies since it was reached.
The Network said that the Assad regime was responsible for 4,476 breaches, while the Russian forces were responsible for at least 34 others. The breaches claimed the lives of at least 248 civilians, including 82 children and 43 women as well as caused five massacres.
The report indicated that attacks by the Assad regime killed at least 185 civilians, including 71 children, 36 women as well as caused three massacres. Attacks by the Russian forces killed 63 civilians, including 11 children and seven women as well as caused two massacres.
According to the report, the breaches included 87 attacks on vital civilian centers, including 17 on places of worship, 19 on schools, six on medical centers, and four on public markets. The Assad regime was responsible for 71 attacks, while the Russian forces were responsible for 13 others.
The Network indicated that the Assad regime used cluster munitions in 11 occasions and incendiary weapons in one occasion in Idlib province in the period between September 17, 2018 and March 14, 2019.
The Network urged the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to submit a report to the UN Human Rights Council and other United Nations bodies on the violations being committed by the Assad-Russian alliance.
Moreover, the Network put forward a set of recommendations, including calling on the UN Security Council to issue a resolution to consolidate the ceasefire in Idlib and to threaten punitive measures for all breaches of the ceasefire. It called on the Russian forces to stop committing war crimes in Syria.
The Syrian Coalition earlier said that the Assad regime and its allies are seeking military escalation in an attempt to undermine the political solution and all international efforts to push for a solution in Syria.
“These attacks require serious response by all concerned countries. “It is imperative that the international community assume its responsibilities towards maintaining international peace and security and to intervene to put an end to these war crimes and hold the perpetrators accountable.” (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
