Member of the Syrian Coalition’s political committee Osama Taljo expressed surprise at the silence of the UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura over the war crimes that the Assad regime and the Russians are committing in Aleppo.
Following a meeting the committee held on Friday to discuss military escalation by the Assad regime and Russia in Aleppo, Idlib, Homs, and eastern Ghouta, Taljo said: “The UN special envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura has not uttered a single word since the resumption of the onslaught on Aleppo where at least 160 civilians have been killed and hundreds more wounded in the past four days. Instead, De Mistura launched a scathing attack on the FSA and rebel fighters, falsely accusing them of targeting civilians in Aleppo.”
“There are massacres taking place in Aleppo right now; people are being burnt alive in shelling by napalm on the district of Alwaer in Homs. Nonetheless, De Mistura has so far kept deep silence, nor has he uttered a single word to condemn these acts.”
Members of the political committee discussed the latest developments on the ground; plans to establish a national army through the unification of the FSA groups under a unified command; how to deal with the next US administration, and the upcoming battle for Raqqa city.
Taljo concluded his remarks by reiterating calls on the United Nations to shoulder its responsibilities to protect civilians from the killing machines of the Assad regime and Russia; to enforce international humanitarian law in Syria; and to hold accountable those responsible for war crimes.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch on Thursday said analysis of satellite imagery provided additional verification that damage to a school complex in the village of Hass in rural Idlib on October 26, 2016, was caused by airstrikes carried out by the joint Russian-Syrian military operation.
Around 35 people, among them 22 children, were killed in the attack.
“The Russian government’s latest denials fly in the face of corroborated witness statements, videos, satellite imagery, and even its own drone footage,” said Bill Van Esveld, senior children’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch.
“The Russian Defense Ministry should stop trying to deny clear evidence of airstrikes on these schools and ensure that Russian and Syrian forces are not attacking schools,” Van Esveld said.
The HRW report said that parachute-retarded munitions have been used by the Syrian air force since November 2012 and have also been used during the joint Russian-Syrian military operation that began in September 2015.
“Russia’s account in which no bombs fell and no schoolchildren were killed is cynical and yet another reminder of the need for accountability in Syria,” the report said. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Office)
