The Syrian Coalition called on the UN Security Council to hold the Assad regime accountable for the horrific crime his forces committed in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in the rural Idlib at dawn today. Chemical substances were used in the attack which left at least 100 people killed and over 400 wounded, mostly women and children, according to the directorate of health in Idlib province.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, the Coalition said that early photos and videos of the aftermath of the attack clearly show a horrible crime similar to the one the Assad regime committed in eastern Ghouta near Damascus in the summer of 2013, which the international community allowed to go unpunished.
The Coalition called upon the UN Security Council to hold an emergency session to address this crime and conduct an immediate investigation into it. Urgent measures need to be taken to ensure that those who ordered, executed, supported and are involved in the attack are held accountable under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, the Coalition said.
“The failure to take concrete, urgent action would be understood by the Assad regime as a blessing for its actions. Inaction is no more an option as it amounts to direct involvement and even direct responsibility for those crimes,” the Coalition added.
The Assad regime’s air force also carried out a massacre against civilians in the town of Douma in eastern Ghouta on Monday claiming the lives of at least 32 people, including women and children.
The Assad regime continues to use internationally prohibited weapons in bombing civilian areas in a blatant violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention and UN Security Council resolutions 2118, 2209, 2235 and 2254.
“These crimes would not have happened again had it not been for the lukewarm response by the international community and its failure to ensure protection for civilians,” the Coalition said.
The Coalition called for the implementation of Article 21 of UN Security Council resolution 2118, which says the Council would take measures under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter in case of noncompliance, including the transfer and use of chemical weapons. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
