President of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), Salem Al-Meslet, has strongly condemned the heinous attack carried out by the Assad regime forces against a rescue vehicle of the Syrian Civil Defense. The attack occurred on Tuesday while the Civil Defense was fulfilling its humanitarian duty, resulting in the tragic death of a civil defense volunteer.
Al-Meslet has urged the United Nations and international humanitarian organizations to denounce this crime, which is just one in a series of war crimes committed by the Assad regime in Syria over the past 12 years. He emphasized the need for these organizations to work towards ensuring accountability, as it is an integral part of UN Resolution 2254.
Highlighting the brutality of the Assad regime, Al-Meslet underscored the repeated attacks on teams operating in the humanitarian, health, and relief sectors. These attacks demonstrate the regime’s deliberate targeting of all locations without discrimination, aiming to instill fear among the population and crush their hopes for a peaceful and stable life.
The targeted attack by the Assad regime forces took place southeast of the town of Atareb in western rural Aleppo. The Syrian Civil Defense team was inspecting areas previously subjected to artillery shelling by the regime when their vehicle was hit by a guided missile, resulting in the tragic death of civil defense volunteer Abdelbaset Abdul Khaleq.
Al-Meslet extended his deepest condolences to Abdul Khaleq’s family, fellow volunteers in the Civil Defense, and his loved ones.
In response to the incident, the Civil Defense released a statement condemning the crime as a flagrant violation of the principles of international humanitarian law. They pointed out that such crimes would not have occurred if the Assad regime had been held accountable for their targeting of volunteers, humanitarian workers, and paramedics over the past several years.
The Civil Defense emphasized that this deliberate attack not only violates international humanitarian law but also undermines humanitarian efforts and hampers the crucial task of saving lives.
The Syrian Civil Defense has lost over 305 volunteers in the past several years. The majority of these brave individuals were victims of double-tap attacks by the Assad regime and Russian forces while rescuing civilians. (Source: SOC’s Media Department)
