Secretary-General of the Syrian National Coalition, Abdelbaset Abdullatif, condemned the escalating bombardment and shelling by the Assad regime and its Russian ally on the towns of Maaret al-Nouman, Jisr al-Shughour, and Kefranbel in rural Idlib.
Abdullatif said that Kefranbel is being subjected to genocidal campaign amid utter silence by the international community, stressing that the regime’s onslaught on the strategic areas of Maaret al-Numan and Jisr al-Shughour is aimed at emptying them of their populations.
He stressed that the failure of the international community to rein in the regime and its Russian ally risks encouraging them to escalate their onslaught and exacerbating the humanitarian situation of thousands of families displaced from their homes in rural Idlib.
Abdullatif stressed that the implementation of the provisions of the Geneva Communique of 2012 and UN Resolution 2254 regarding the establishment of a nationwide ceasefire would stop the mass forced displacement of civilians and reduce the targeting of vital areas.
Local activists said that the intensifying artillery shelling and airstrikes on and around the towns of Maarat al-Numan and Jisr al-Shughour have forced nearly 50,000 people out of their homes since November 1.
Meanwhile, the Emergency Response Coordinators Team in Northern Syria said that the IDP fled to makeshift camps near the Syrian-Turkish border and to relatively safer villages.
The Team pointed out that the intensifying bombing campaign have so far killed 100 civilians, including 37 children, since November 1. It noted that the victims included 90 who were killed in Idlib province, seven in Aleppo, and one person in northern rural Hama. At least 250 people were also injured in the three provinces. (Source: Syrian National Coalition’s Media Department)
