France and Turkey have both agreed on the same
Syria: Nearly fifty people have been left dead after certain military parties launched missile attacks on schools and hospitals in Northern parts of Syria. Although the identity of the perpetrating force is unclear, the Turkish Foreign Minister has claimed Russia to be responsible while the President of MSF France, Mego Terzian, believes that either Moscow or the unsteady Syrian government could be the culprits.
Reportedly, 12 people were killed in the Azaz region, where two hospitals and two schools were stricken. On the other hand, Maarat al-Numan, in Idlib province, another hospital managed by the Médécins sans Frontiers (MSF) was left in ruins. At least 7 people were killed here, while another eight are still being searched for; a representative of this MSF hospital, named it a ‘deliberate’ strike. A second hospital also saw the death of three people in the same region. The French Foreign Minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault , was quick to point out the nature of these crimes, saying that such acts ‘constitute war crimes’, to which Turkey added by calling the attacks ‘obvious war crimes’.
This blamegame was then taken forward by the Syrian Ambassador to Russia, Riad Haddad, who went on to accuse the US of these attacks. The USA immediately rubbished these claims. Stated Captain Jeff Davis,” We have no reason to strike in Idlib, as Isil (so-called Islamic State) is not active there.”
According to international humanitarian law, it is banned to target any patients, medical workers or personnel and at the same time, to attack any medical facilities, areas which must be no-military zones during war—even if combatants may use them as safe-zones. The International Criminal Court believes that the number of civilian casualties could be too high, despite the risk, also known as the rule of proportionality. Only late last Thursday, a conference of world leaders under the UN came to a decision to implement a ‘cessastion of hostilities’ in Syria, along with a ceasefire, all within a week. To this decision, Syrian President Assad’s reaction was to express his lack of faith in various hostile parties to give up their weapons. He commented in a televised interview, “So far they say they want a ceasefire within a week…Who is capable of gathering all these conditions and requirements within a week?”
While Turkey and Russia have seen their diplomatic relations deteriorate in the last few months over their opposite standings in the war, the Kurdish militants have seized the town of Tal Rifaat from Islamist rebels in another part of North Syria, as per the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, based in London. The Turkish Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, assured the people of the ‘harshest’ if they try to grab the Azaz region as well, since Turkey has been bombing the YPG militia for the last three days for its core being in support of the PKK, a party that has been advocating autonomy in Turkey for the past decade.
A civil war that has been continuing for the last five year, killing at least 250,000 people and displacing another 11 million in Syria, seems to know no end. This recent attack on hospital portrays a new low in the attempts at peace by international leaders, even as the UN Envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, is in Damascus to rejuvenate peace talks. The UN thinks of this attack as one that has ‘cast a shadow’ on its ideas of implementing a cessation.
Source: BBC
Tags: France Syria Syria conflict Turkey
