Syrian Regime Continues To Target Civilians With Chlorine Gas Attack In Idlib

29 January 2018

EsinIslam And Agencies

After a fresh chlorine gas attack in Syria's Idlib province that killed at least eight civilians, the Syrian opposition urges the U.N. to take action to end Russian and Syrian regime attacks

Civilians have suffered chlorine gas poisoning during an attack on the opposition-held town of Saraqib in Idlib province that resulted in the death of at least eight people. The White Helmets, also known as the Syria Civil Defense, said at least 40 others were injured Sunday when a chlorine gas attack by Bashar Assad's regime targeted a residential area. Five people were treated for 'suffocation' on Sunday after Syrian regime airstrikes on the northwestern town of Saraqeb, a monitor said, as reported by AFP.

The National Coalition of Syrian Opposition and Revolutionary Forces called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to take emergency action to end the Russian and Syrian regime attacks on the northwestern city of Idlib.

The call from the Syrian National Coalition followed the recent attacks on several points of opposition-held Idlib, demanded the UNSC to urgently interfere and make decisions directly against Russia.

'It is expected that the international community will work at all levels to condemn the attacks as well as to save civilians in Idlib, Ghouta and all across Syria and to stop the attacks,' the statement read, according to Anadolu Agency (AA). It is also noted that the Assad regime attacked civilians in the Saraqib district of Idlib with chlorine gas, labeling it a 'repeated violation' of U.N. resolutions.

Russian jets intensified their raids on opposition-held towns and cities in Syria's northern Idlib province on Sunday night, a day after opposition groups shot down a Russian warplane and killed its pilot. Civil defense sources said air raids struck the towns of Kafr Nubl and Maasran, as well as the cities of Saraqib, Maarat al Numan and Idlib, and that several deaths and dozens of injuries were reported as rescuers dug through the rubble.

Aerial bombardment and fears of revenge by advancing Syrian troops and Iranian-backed militias have led to an exodus of tens of thousands of civilians further north to the safety of makeshift camps on the Syrian side of the Turkish border.

Syrians have poured into Idlib at an accelerating rate over the last two years, forced to abandon their homes in other parts of Syria that the regime and its foreign military allies have recaptured from opposition.

In December, the Syrian regime alongside Iranian-backed militias and heavy Russian airpower launched a major offensive to take territory in Idlib province, the last and most-densely populated province still mainly under opposition control. Located in northern Syria near the Turkish border, the Idlib province was declared a 'de-escalation zone.' Controlled by anti-regime armed groups, the province has been under intense airstrikes for the last two months. In January alone, 211 civilians were killed and 1,447 wounded.

The latest developments come as the United States this week accused the Syrian regime of using chemical weapons on opposition forces near capital Damascus. The Syrian regime denied the accusations as 'lies.' U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters on Friday that his government is concerned sarin gas may have been recently used in Syria, citing reports from nongovernmental organizations and opposition groups. These reports said toxic gas has been used. Mattis however said the United States has no proof to support these accusations.

Syria has been locked in a devastating civil war since March 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity. While U.N. officials say hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict, Syrian regime officials say the death toll is closer to 10,000.

5,783 Civilians Killed iIn Syria In Few Months, NGO says

A total of 5,783 civilians were killed in Syria, mainly by the Russian forces, over the last two years, according to a report released by Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) on Saturday.

The report said 1,596 children and 992 women were among those killed between Sept. 30, 2015 and Dec. 31, 2017.

It said nearly 2.3 million individuals were displaced as a direct result of the Russian offensives along with their allies.

At least 294 'massacres' were committed by the Russian forces, while 141 attacks targeted the medical facilities, leaving at least 53 medical personnel dead, according to the report.

Russian forces used cluster munitions in nearly 217 attacks.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity. Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million others displaced, according to U.N. officials.

Assad regime pushes into Syria's Idlib despite de-escalation deal

The Assad regime forces pushed into an opposition stronghold of Idlib on Thursday despite a ceasefire agreement brokered by Turkey, Russia and Iran.

The regime troops and allied militia forces moved within 14 kilometers (9 miles) of the town of Saraqeb, in Idlib, the opposition's largest stronghold in the country, a war monitoring group reported.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said pro-regime forces were inching closer to a key highway connecting two of Syria's largest cities, Damascus and Aleppo, which passes just east of Saraqeb.

The Assad regime leveraged its monopoly on air power to carve a path deep inside Idlib to reach the Abu Dhuhour air base, 26 kilometers (16 miles) southeast of Saraqeb, last month. It then started marching toward Saraqeb, an important military center for the opposition in control of Idlib.

'The bombing has been non-stop,' said local media activist Abdulghani Dabaan.

The opposition has limited anti-aircraft capabilities.

Meanwhile, U.N. humanitarian adviser Jan Egeland called on Russia, Turkey and Iran to de-escalate the fighting in Idlib, which he said was 'screaming for a ceasefire'.

'When we need their ability to influence the parties the most, in this bleak hour for humanitarian work, humanitarian diplomacy seems to be totally impotent. We're getting nowhere at the moment,' Egeland said.

The three guarantor countries in Astana peace process — Turkey, Russia and Iran — agreed to establish a so-called de-escalation zone in Idlib. As part of the agreement, Turkish forces were deployed to Idlib to monitor the process through a number of military posts set up across the province.

Turkey repeatedly warmed that the Assad regime's violations of ceasefire in Idlib threaten the whole peace process and called on Russia and Iran, the regime's main backers, to pressure Assad forces to stop the offensive.

 

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