Amnesty International’s report that Russian airstrikes in Syria could amount to war crimes is a stinging rebuke of Vladimir Putin and exposes the Russian leader’s evil intentions behind the Syrian intervention. Hundreds of civilians have been killed in nearly three months of Russian air raids in Syria and the Amnesty says “some strikes appear to have directly attacked civilians or civilian objects by striking residential areas with no evident military target and even medical facilities, resulting in deaths and injuries to civilians.” “Such attacks may amount to war crimes,” he said, adding that it “is crucial that suspected violations are independently and impartially investigated,” Amnesty Middle East and North Africa director Philip Luther said in a statement.
The Amnesty report actually confirms what is already known. Russia says it’s bombarding Syria to fight the Islamic State militants, but its real intention is to support its ally Bashar Al Assad. But Moscow’s air raids have only resulted in more misery to Syrians. The Islamic State is as powerful as before, and dropping bombs from the sky is not the best way to kill its battle-hardened militants.
The Amnesty report exposes the lies and cover-ups of the Russian government about its operations in Syria. The London-based group said there is “evidence suggesting that Russian authorities may have lied to cover up civilian damage to a mosque from one air strike and a field hospital in another”. There is also “evidence suggesting Russia’s use of internationally banned cluster munitions and of unguided bombs in populated residential areas”. The report mainly focuses on attacks in Homs, Idlib and Aleppo provinces between September and November, which killed at least 200 civilians and around a dozen fighters. In one of the deadliest incidents, three missiles were fired at a busy market in the Idlib town of Ariha, killing 49 civilians.
As expected, Moscow has furiously rejected the charges. A defence ministry spokesperson said the report is full of clichés and fake arguments which Moscow had previously rejected.
The Amnesty report will not shock the world because Syria has stopped shocking the world after all the deaths, tragedies and heart-breaking stories of human suffering. After nearly five years and more than 250,000 lives lost, the international community is still making baby steps towards peace in the war-torn country. The major world powers have now agreed on a plan for ending the civil war. A resolution approved unanimously by the United Nations Security Council puts the Council behind a plan negotiated over several months that calls for a ceasefire. But Assad is not interested in peace, and the world powers will have to work really hard and sincerely to save Syrians from the misery they are trapped in.
Amnesty International’s report that Russian airstrikes in Syria could amount to war crimes is a stinging rebuke of Vladimir Putin and exposes the Russian leader’s evil intentions behind the Syrian intervention. Hundreds of civilians have been killed in nearly three months of Russian air raids in Syria and the Amnesty says “some strikes appear to have directly attacked civilians or civilian objects by striking residential areas with no evident military target and even medical facilities, resulting in deaths and injuries to civilians.” “Such attacks may amount to war crimes,” he said, adding that it “is crucial that suspected violations are independently and impartially investigated,” Amnesty Middle East and North Africa director Philip Luther said in a statement.
The Amnesty report actually confirms what is already known. Russia says it’s bombarding Syria to fight the Islamic State militants, but its real intention is to support its ally Bashar Al Assad. But Moscow’s air raids have only resulted in more misery to Syrians. The Islamic State is as powerful as before, and dropping bombs from the sky is not the best way to kill its battle-hardened militants.
The Amnesty report exposes the lies and cover-ups of the Russian government about its operations in Syria. The London-based group said there is “evidence suggesting that Russian authorities may have lied to cover up civilian damage to a mosque from one air strike and a field hospital in another”. There is also “evidence suggesting Russia’s use of internationally banned cluster munitions and of unguided bombs in populated residential areas”. The report mainly focuses on attacks in Homs, Idlib and Aleppo provinces between September and November, which killed at least 200 civilians and around a dozen fighters. In one of the deadliest incidents, three missiles were fired at a busy market in the Idlib town of Ariha, killing 49 civilians.
As expected, Moscow has furiously rejected the charges. A defence ministry spokesperson said the report is full of clichés and fake arguments which Moscow had previously rejected.
The Amnesty report will not shock the world because Syria has stopped shocking the world after all the deaths, tragedies and heart-breaking stories of human suffering. After nearly five years and more than 250,000 lives lost, the international community is still making baby steps towards peace in the war-torn country. The major world powers have now agreed on a plan for ending the civil war. A resolution approved unanimously by the United Nations Security Council puts the Council behind a plan negotiated over several months that calls for a ceasefire. But Assad is not interested in peace, and the world powers will have to work really hard and sincerely to save Syrians from the misery they are trapped in.
