BEIRUT: An international human rights group said Thursday that a yearlong military campaign by Syrian and Russian forces that repeatedly attacked civilian targets in the last rebel stronghold in northwestern Syria constituted apparent war crimes and may amount to crimes against humanity.
Human Rights Watch released a 167-page report titled “Targeting Life in Idlib,” in which the group names 10 senior Syrian and Russian civilian and military officials — including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Syrian President Bashar Assad as well as defense ministers and top generals — who may be implicated in war crimes as a matter of command responsibility.
“They knew or should have known about the abuses and took no effective steps to stop them or punish those responsible,” Human Rights Watch said in its report, which covered attacks on Idlib province between April 2019 and March.
The monthslong Russian-backed Syrian offensive killed and wounded thousands and displaced nearly a million people. The offensive stopped in March, when Turkey and Russia agreed on a cease-fire. Turkey is a main backer of Syrian rebels while Russia has joined Syrian government forces in the battles.
HRW said that during the Syrian campaign in which government forces captured scores of villages and towns, dozens of “unlawful air and ground strikes” hit hospitals, schools, and markets killing hundreds of civilians. The attacks seriously impaired the rights to health, education, food, water, and shelter, triggering mass displacement, HRW said.
“The repeated unlawful attacks appear part of a deliberate military strategy to destroy civilian infrastructure and force out the population, making it easier for the Syrian government to retake control,” said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch.
Human Rights Watch documented 46 air and ground attacks, including the use of cluster munitions, that directly hit or damaged civilian targets in violation of the laws of war. The strikes killed at least 224 civilians and wounded 561, HRW said adding that they were only a fraction of the total attacks during that time in Idlib and surrounding areas.
It said the documented strike concentrated on four urban areas, including the provincial capital, also called Idlib, as well as the towns of Jisr Al-Shughour, Ariha and Maaret Al-Numan damaging 12 health care facilities and 10 schools, forcing them to shut down, in some cases permanently.
Rights group suspects Russia, Syria war crimes in Idlib
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Rights group suspects Russia, Syria war crimes in Idlib
- The monthslong Russian-backed Syrian offensive killed and wounded thousands and displaced nearly a million people
- Human Rights Watch documented 46 air and ground attacks, including the use of cluster munitions, that directly hit or damaged civilian targets
Ceasefire with Kurdish-led force extended for another 15 days, Syrian army says
- The defense ministry said the extension was in support of an operation by US forces to transfer accused Daesh militants to Iraq
- The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces confirmed the ceasefire extension
RAQQA, Syria: Hours after the expiration of a four-day truce between the Syrian government and Kurdish-led fighters Saturday, Syria’s defense ministry announced the ceasefire had been extended by another 15 days.
The defense ministry said in a statement that the extension was in support of an operation by US forces to transfer accused Daesh militants who had been held in prisons in northeastern Syria to detention centers in Iraq.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces confirmed the ceasefire extension.
“Our forces affirm their commitment to the agreement and their dedication to respecting it, which contributes to de-escalation, the protection of civilians, and the creation of the necessary conditions for stability,” the group said in a statement.
Over the past three weeks, there have been intense clashes between government forces and the SDF, in which the SDF lost large parts of the area they once controlled.
Earlier in the day, the Kurdish-led force called on the international community to prevent any escalation.
The end of the truce came as government forces have been sending reinforcements to Syria’s northeast.
Syria’s interim government signed an agreement last March with the SDF for it to hand over territory and to eventually merge its fighters with government forces. In early January, a new round of talks failed to make progress over the merger, leading to renewed fighting between the two sides.
A new version of the accord was signed last weekend, and a four-day ceasefire was declared Tuesday. Part of the new deal is that SDF members will have to merge into the army and police forces as individuals.
The SDF said in a statement Saturday that military buildups and logistical movements by government forces have been observed, “clearly indicating an intent to escalate and push the region toward a new confrontation.” The SDF said it will continue to abide by the truce.
On Saturday, state TV said authorities on Saturday released 126 boys under the age of 18 who were held at the Al-Aqtan prison near the northern city of Raqqa that was taken by government forces Friday. The teenagers were taken to the city of Raqqa where they were handed over to their families, the TV station said.
The prison is also home to some of the 9,000 members of the Daesh group who are held in northeastern Syria. Most of them remain held in jails run by the SDF. Government forces have so far taken control of two prisons while the rest are still run by the SDF.
Earlier this week, the US military said that some 7,000 Daesh detainees will be transferred to detention centers in neighboring Iraq.
On Wednesday, the US military said that 150 prisoners have been taken to Iraq.
