The Emergency Response Coordinators Team said that at least 568 civilians, including 162 children, have been killed in the bombing campaign the Assad regime and Russia have launched in northwestern Syria since April 26. It noted that nearly half a million people have been displaced.
In a new report released on Monday, the Team said that northwestern Syria, one of the de-escalation zones, has been subjected to numerous military campaigns by the Assad regime forces backed by Iran and Russia. It warned that the aim of these operations is to recapture the province of Idlib.
The report indicated that no fewer than 664 civilians, including many children and women, have been killed since the Sochi Agreement was reached in September 2018.
According to the report, more people are being displaced as a result of the ongoing bombing campaign in northwestern Syria. It noted that 214,329 people were displaced in the period between February 2 and April 29. Nearly 425,438 people were displaced in the period between April 29 and May 27.
The Team pointed out that dozens of villages and towns have been completely deserted in rural the provinces of Idlib and Hama, adding that this comes “as part of the Russian policy to forcibly displace the local population.” It stressed that these tactics constituted “war crimes and acts of terrorism.”
The report also said that more than 21 villages and towns located in the demilitarized zone have become uninhabitable as a result of the relentless attacks on residential neighborhoods, public facilities and infrastructure.
The Assad regime and Russian forces are deliberately and systematically targeting vital civilian centers in the region, the Team said.
More than 68 vital centers were directly attacked, the report said, adding that the ratio of damage ranged from 11 percent to 90 percent. The bombardment also targeted more than 55 medical facilities, rendering more than half of these non-operational. The rest of the facilities stopped working or suspended their operations for fear of bombardment.
The Assad regime and Russian forces also bombed at least nine bakeries spread across the demilitarized zone.
The Team went on to say that at least seven IDP camps were directly targeted, leaving dozens of casualties among displaced civilians.
The Russian jets also bombed at least six civil defense centers, putting them out of service. More than 26 mosques were also bombed. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
