President Khoja said that instead of targeting ISIS headquarters, the Russian aggression has targeted civilians in Deir Ezzor who have made immense sacrifices on road to freedom. The Russian air strikes on Deir Ezzor have caused dozens of civilian casualties, including women and children.
At a press conference held earlier today, President Khoja extended condolences to the families of the victims in all Syrian cities, including Deir Ezzor, Dara’a, Aleppo and Damascus.
He explained that Russia has recently stepped up air raids on rural Latakia, Aleppo, Dara’a and Douma. 2,977 civilians have been killed across Syria since the Russian aggression began 53 days ago. 550 of these were killed in Russian air strikes that have reached up to 2,943 so far. Three schools, 14 hospitals, a pharmaceutical plant and food factory were targeted by the Russian air force.
President Khoja added that barely 6% of the overall Russian air strikes on Syria have targeted ISIS, warning that the refugee crisis will worsen if the Russian aggression continues.
Khoja calls on Al-Nusra Front to dissociate itself from Al-Qaeda, especially Al-Qaeda’s adoption of the bombings in Mali at a time terrorist attacks have rocked Turkey, France, and Lebanon. He also urges all Syrian rebel factions to adopt the national path that the revolution states, stressing that the Free Syrian Army rejects terrorism in all its types.
President Khoja reaffirms the Syrian Coalition’s commitment to a political solution in accordance with the Geneva I Communique, emphasizing that any political solution in Syria cannot include Bashar al-Assad and his ruling elite.
Khoja said that the Syrian Coalition is invited to attend the upcoming Riyadh conference, commending the role played by Saudi Arabia to realize the Syrian people’s demands. He added that the Syrian Coalition seeks to make the conference successful and will reach out to the rest of the revolution institutions and civil society organizations. (Source: Syrian Coalition)