President of the Syrian Coalition Anas Alabdah sent an urgent letter to the foreign ministers of the international anti-ISIS coalition in the wake of the horrific massacres committed in the town of Manbij northeast of Aleppo by aircrafts of the coalition on Tuesday and which claimed the lives of over 125 civilians.
Alabdah demanded an immediate suspension of the military operations of the international anti-ISIS coalition in Syria to allow for a thorough investigation of these incidents.
“We believe that such incidents indicate a major loophole in the current operational rules followed by the international coalition in conducting strikes in populated areas. It is essential that such investigation not only result in revised rules of procedure for future operations, but also inform accountability for those responsible for such major violations,” the letter said.
Alabdah strongly condemned the massacre and held the international coalition totally responsible for the crimes that took place in Manbij.
“The Syrian people, as you are aware, have been murdered, maimed and tortured for over five years now at the hands of Assad’s murderous regime, Russia, Iran and allied militias in addition to ISIS and terrorist groups.”
Alabdah warned that the killing of the Syrian people now at the hands of the international coalition “will only push them further into a spiral of despair and, more importantly, will prove to be a recruitment tool for terrorist organizations.”
The Syrian Coalition on Tuesday emphasized the need to prioritize the protection of Syrian civilians in any operation targeting the murderous Assad regime and terrorist groups. All measures should be taken to protect civilian lives, the Coalition said.
The Coalition stressed that fighting terror cannot be achieved through the brutal targeting of civilians, nor should it justify the targeting of civilians in any way. These last incidents are not the first to occur and the international anti-ISIS coalition has not yet opened any investigation into previous attacks on civilians, the Coalition added. (Source: Syrian Coalition)
