It isn’t only chemical weapons that are killing civilians in the liberated areas, it’s also the different kinds of conventional weapons.
Russia, the main ally of the Syrian regime and its accomplice in the slaughter of the Syrians, has announced after the American air strike on the military airport of al-Choeirate that it will maintain its military support to the regime. Indeed, air strikes have intensified in the northern liberated areas since April 6th, 2017, targeting in particular some vital medical facilities and the emergency aid organisations, and this to prevent the inhabitants to access medical assistance after the air force has committed the worst of massacres against them.
To punish the civilians of areas liberated after the American strike, Russia has complemented its policy of destruction of all sanitary structures in these areas, to then slaughter the civilians who have no way to save those injured. This Russian policy constitutes one of the worst violations of international right and one of the worst war crimes. Apparently, even these crimes cannot shake the sleepy consciousness of the international community!
In a special declaration to the Syrian Press Centre on the latest developments in Russia’s international violations in Syria, Ahmed Aldbeis, director of the UOSSM al-Salama medical centre, declared: ìSyria’s medical situation is heading for a humanitarian catastrophe due to the systematic targeting of hospitals and medical facilities, as well as the ambulance network. Over 500.000 people have already being deprived of medical services due to this targeting of hospitals and medical centres that has lead to the complete shutdown of 8 hospitals in Hama and Idlib just in this month of April. This kind of services constitutes one of the most the basic human rights in the most difficult of circumstances.î
The intensification of Russian air strikes in the liberated areas has started this month of April with the targeting of the central hospital of the city of Maart-al-Nou’man which lead to the shutdown of this hospital which used to treat over 8000 medical cases per month. Next it was the al-Rahma hospital in the city of Khan Shaikhoun that was targeted right after the chemical massacre that occurred in that city on April 4th. That same hospital was once again the target of Russian air strikes on April 16th, which lead to its complete shutdown. On April 17th it’s the al-Ikhlass hospital in the village of Shannon on mount al-Zaouia that was targeted by the Russian air force. On april 23rd it is Hama’s hospital centre, near the village of Abdeen in the Southern region of Idlib-country, that was attacked with bunker-buster bombs. Then it was the turn of the Walid Hassino hospital for surgery, in Kafr Takharim, near the Turkish border. The targeting of this last hospital happened one hour after the massacre of al-Doeila, a town near this hospital, in order to prevent those injured from accessing any care.
On Tuesday April 27th, the Russian air force targeted the al-Lataminah hospital in the countryside north of Hama, as well as the university hospital located East of the city of Maart-al-Nou’man, leading to their final shutdown. Three people injured, who were being treated at the university hospital, have died, including a little girl.
Targeting hospitals and civilians did not seem enough for the Russian air force that attacked, on Tuesday, April 27th, the ambulances of several medical organisations ìSAMSî, ìSEMAî and ìCHAMî while they were on a rescue mission in the city of Maar-Zita to evacuate those injured during the slaughter carried out that very morning by Russian planes on the town’s camps. Several paramedics and drivers have died or been injured, of which are currently known Yusuf SUTL, Saleh RAHMOUN of ìSAMSî, Majid Al-Omar, Abou Omar SULEIMAN of ìCHAMî.
Aldbeis adds: ìWe, as humanitarian organisations in the medical field involved within Syria, take care to document the violations carried out and we send our reports to the UN and to the concerned international organisations who, in turn, pass them on to the decision-making bodies within the international community, but sadly without any results. Indeed there still haven’t been any decisions taken, from the international community, that might be able to put an end to Russia’s abuses and its violations of human rights in Syria.
Thus every massacre carried out by the Russia air force in Syria since the beginning of its military intervention in September 2015 escapes any resolution of the United Nation Security Council thanks to Ruswsia’s right of veto. Today, the rest of the world stands and watch Russia’s policy of exactions in the provinces of Idlib and Hama, aiming at suppressing every essential facility in the service of the inhabitants, just as it had done before in East Aleppo, near Idlib, at the end of 2016!
Syrian Press Center
