Human rights activists blame Russian aircraft for civilian deaths in Syria
Ten civilians have been killed by Russian airstrikes in the Syrian province of Idlib, said representatives from the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Russian Defense Ministry called the allegations “provocation”, Current Time reports.
A bakery and a hospital in the town of Ariha, Idlib, were damaged in a Russian air raid early Thursday morning, the Turkish news agency Anadolu reports. The Russian Defense Ministry denied that Russian aircraft had been involved in any combat missions in the region, and called the reports “informational provocation”. The human rights advocates reported at least ten civilian deaths and a large number of injuries.
“Russian aircraft attacked the Al-Shami Hospital in the town of Ariha, as well as residential buildings in the vicinity, during three air raids last night at around 11 PM. When we arrived at the scene, there were dozens of dead and wounded,” said Ahmed Aslan, a rescue worker from the Syria Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets.
The Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria claimed that not a single civilian had been killed in the offensive on Idlib. On Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Moscow of breaching their agreements on Syria.
“We’re running out of patience. Turkey does not seek to capture Syrian territories. The plight of ordinary Syrians, who need to be saved, is important to us,” he said.
On Thursday the situation in Syria was discussed by the chiefs of general staff of Turkey and Russia. The details of the talks have not been disclosed. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians forced to leave their homes have been flowing towards the Turkish border. Ankara is deploying additional forces on the border, including armored vehicles. Turkey is already housing 3.5 million refugees from Syria.
The US State Department confirmed that it does not intend to withdraw any more US troops from Syria.
“We are all in shock and horror at Assad’s uncompromising offensive backed by Russia and Iran,” said US Special Representative for Syria James Jeffrey.
“The de-escalation of violence and an end to the combat throughout Syria are now more important than ever. The presence there of five foreign armies reminds us of the dangers that the crisis presents to international peace and security,” said UN Special Envoy for Syria Khawla Matar.
Syrian government forces, supported by Russian aircraft, are currently moving deep into Idlib, which is home to around 3 million people. Idlib is the last province of Syria controlled by forces which oppose the Assad regime.