Appalled by the Assad regime’s unleashing of its merciless terror on Eastern Ghouta, the Syrian Coalition calls on the international community to intervene immediately to stop Assad’s brutal air raids on civilians. Spokesman for the Syrian Coalition, Salem al-Meslet, slams world silence on Assad’s scorched earth policy against opposition-held areas, as Assad’s air force conducts over 35 airstrikes, coincided with heavy artillery bombardment and rocket launchers, on the districts of Douma, Arbin and Kafrbatna in Eastern Ghouta. Regime forces also targeted ambulances and medical staff as they provided aid to victims, an act which Meslet described as a war crime and a crime against humanity. At least twenty two civilians were killed and nearly 100 were wounded in the bombardment on Eastern Ghouta, a toll that is likely to rise as ambulances and civil defense teams are still rushing to rescue victims.
Meslet points out that “the carnage being carried out by the Assad regime against residents of Eastern Ghouta adds to its litany of horrible crimes and vengeful attacks against the Syrian people. The Syrian Network for Human Rights documented 16 massacres committed by regime forces over the past month across Syria.
Meslet stresses that these wholesale killings once again raise the need to impose safe protected havens in northern and southern Syria, and to provide full and immediate support for the FSA so it can protect civilians and defend against the Assad air force. (Source: Syrian Coalition)