Page 34 - MIN JUS 8 DEC 2015

A8

world NEWSTuesday 8 December 2015

Syria: 3 troops killed by US-led strikes; US blames Russia

Opposition prisoners, right, take part in a ceremony for their release in the central city of Homs, ern city of Deir el-Zour on seriously and investigates
Sunday night. In addition them.
Syria on Monday, Dec. 7, 2015. Syrian authorities have released 35 opposition detainees in the to the casualties among Moreover, a U.S. military of-
the troops, it said the at- ficial said Washington was
central city that was one of the first to rise against the government, ahead of a deal that will tack destroyed armored “certain” it was a Russian
and other vehicles, and a airstrike that hit the camp.
lead to the departure of thousands of opposition fighters. Syria on Monday accused the U.S.- weapons and ammunition The official spoke on condi-
depot. tion of anonymity and was
led coalition of bombing an army camp in the eastern part of the country, killing three Syrian “This hampers efforts to unable to discuss the mat-
combat terrorism and ter publicly.
soldiers and wounding 13. (AP Photo) proves once again that this There was no immediate
coalition lacks seriousness comment from Russian De-
ZEINA KARAM U.S. military official said the U.S.-led alliance began its and credibility to effective- fense Ministry.
BASSEM MROUE Pentagon is “certain” the airstrikes in Syria in Septem- ly fight terrorism,” accord- The Britain-based Syrian
Associated Press strike was from a Russian ber 2014, while Russia’s air ing to the letter, which was Observatory for Human
BEIRUT (AP) — Syria on Mon- warplane. campaign began a year published in Syrian state Rights, which relies on ac-
day accused the U.S.-led The dispute over the dead- later. media. The government tivists in Syria, also reported
coalition of bombing an ly airstrike underscored In a letter to the United Na- refers to all those fighting to the airstrikes and a similar
army camp in the eastern the increasingly chaotic tions, the government in overthrow President Bashar death toll. The Observatory
part of the country, killing skies over Syria as various Damascus said four aircraft Assad as “terrorists.” said the strikes were “be-
three Syrian soldiers and powers hit targets in the from the coalition targeted It was the first time Syria has lieved” to have been car-
wounding 13, but a senior war-ravaged country. The the army camp in the east- accused the U.S.-led coali- ried out by the coalition.
tion of hitting its troops. The planes hit the camp
The U.S. denied the claim, known as Sa’iqa, the Ob-
saying four alliance air- servatory said, though it
strikes in the eastern prov- gave a slightly different ac-
ince of Deir el-Zour all hit count, saying the camp is
oil wells about 55 kilome- near the village of Ayyash
ters (34 miles) southeast of in the western countryside
Ayyash. of Deir el-Zour.
“We did not strike any ve- A Facebook page used
hicles or personnel targets by Islamic State militants
in this area. We have no to post news said several
indication any Syrian sol- coalition warplanes flew
diers were even near our over IS positions about 8:30
strikes,” the coalition state- p.m. Sunday, then headed
ment said, adding that it toward areas controlled
takes allegations of po- by the Syrian government
tential collateral damage and struck an arms depot
in the village of Ayyash,
Official: Red Cross ready to speak with IS to get aid in west of Deir el-Zour. Sev-
eral strong explosions were
JAMEY KEATEN years. The conference in for any humanitarian.” people who are support- heard, it said.
Associated Press Geneva aims partly to rein- The organization needs ing Islamic State group,” The city of Deir el-Zour is
GENEVA (AP) — The Inter- force international human- above all to focus on Syr- Daccord said. “We are try- mainly held by the Islamic
national Committee of the itarian law that has come ians inside the war-torn ing to find some solutions” State group, but the Syrian
Red Cross is trying to reach under threat in conflict country, where more than on a “pragmatic” basis, he government maintains a
out to the Islamic State zones like Syria, Iraq, South 250,000 have been killed added. The reputation of presence in some parts of
group to get humanitar- Sudan,Afghanistan and and at least a million the Red Cross as indepen- it.
ian aid to people in areas Yemen. wounded since the upris- dent and impartial could The IS-affiliated Aamaq
under its control, the orga- The Red Cross is a “radical- ing began over four years help it achieve its end of news agency released a
nization’s director-general ly neutral” organization try- ago, Daccord said. That getting through to the video showing wide de-
said Monday. ing to have “a relationship means reaching out to all most vulnerable, Daccord struction in a residential
Yves Daccord made the where we can do it” with possible sides in the conflict said, noting that as many neighborhood in Deir el-
comments to The Associ- the Islamic State group, — including IS. as 8 million people have Zour, saying it was bombed
ated Press on Monday’s Daccord said. He said it’s “We try to have some been internally displaced by Russian warplanes. The
start to a major gathering very difficult in Syria be- connections in Iraq, with in Syria — mostly the poor- video showed a wounded
of the Red Cross and Red cause some IS-controlled maybe what I would call est people in the country child being carried away
Crescent held every four areas “are pretty off-limits ‘medium-level’ people — who aren’t able to flee.q and a dead boy was on a
stretcher.q