Page 11 - Aruba Today

WORLD NEWS A11
Thursday 24 December 2015

Accusations grow against Russia over Syria civilian killings

Syrian refugee Hind Salem, who fled with her family from the at least 200 civilians. lar accusations by Human Ki-moon noted with con-
central Syrian town of Palmyra, from Russian airstrikes, sits “Some Russian air strikes Rights Watch last Sunday. cern the Amnesty report,
on the ground with her kids at their unfurnished home, in the appear to have directly at- The New York-based group deputy spokesman Far-
Turkish-Syrian border city of Reyhanli, southern Turkey. “We tacked civilians or civilian said that attacks in Syria han Haq told reporters on
had no intention to leave our country at all. But the Russian objects by striking residen- using air-dropped and Wednesday. But Haq add-
airstrikes made us leave,” she said. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla) tial areas with no evident ground-launched cluster ed that the United Nations
military target and even munitions have increased “cannot independently
ZEINA KARAM may even amount to war medical facilities, resulting significantly since Russia be- confirm the cases present-
Associated Press in deaths and injuries to ci- gan its military operations ed” in the report.
BEIRUT (AP) — The three crimes. In a new report re- vilians,” said Philip Luther, in Syria. Cluster munitions, Konashenkov, the Russian
missiles fired on a public director of Amnesty’s Mid- which can be delivered ministry spokesman, flatly
market in the northern Syr- leased Wednesday, Am- dle East and North Africa from the ground by artillery rejected the claim that Rus-
ian town of Ariha took the program. and rockets or dropped sian aircraft used cluster
morning shoppers by sur- nesty International says it “Such attacks may amount from aircraft, are by nature bombs in Syria.
prise. In a few moments, to war crimes,” Luther add- indiscriminate and often The Moscow spokesman
the main street, packed has also documented evi- ed. leave unexploded bomb- singled out Amnesty, criti-
with people buying and Amnesty’s report also said lets on the ground. These cizing it for taking a “bi-
selling fruit and vegetables, dence suggesting Russia the group has gathered can maim and kill civilians ased” approach toward
turned into a scene of car- evidence, including photos long after the hostilities or Russia and adding that
nage with burning cars and used cluster munitions and and video footage, sug- a conflict ends. Russia and the U.S.-led coalition, Syria
the wounded screaming in gesting the Russians have Syria among several na- and Turkey also have con-
terror. At least 34 civilians used unguided bombs in tions — including the United ducted airstrikes in Syria
were killed in the Nov. 29 densely populated civil- States — that are not sig- where the level of coor-
attack — one in a growing ian areas, as well as inter- natories to the Convention dination has been poor
number of suspected Rus- nationally banned deadly on Cluster Munitions, which — suggesting those strikes
sian attacks that Syrian op- cluster munitions. bans the bombs. have also caused civilian
position and rights activists The charge echoed simi- U.N. Secretary-General Ban casualties.q
say have killed civilians and
caused massive destruction unguided bombs in popu-
to residential areas across
the country since Moscow lated residential areas. The
formally joined the conflict
nearly three months ago. London-based watchdog
Russian officials have re-
peatedly rejected the ac- denounced Moscow’s
cusations while residents
and most opposition ac- “shameful failure” to ac-
tivists inside Syria acknowl-
edge they have no way of knowledge civilian killings.
categorically distinguishing
whether planes that carry Russian Defense Ministry
out a specific attack are
operated by Russians or spokesman Maj.-Gen. Igor
Syrians. But human rights
group say the pattern of Konashenkov rejected Am-
attacks suggests Russia is
flouting international hu- nesty’s claims as “clichés
manitarian law and that it
and fakes,” accusing the

group of relying on activ-

ists’ claims that could not

be checked or proven.

He particularly criticized the

group’s claim that the Rus-

sian strikes targeted areas

where there were no mili-

tants, saying Amnesty had

no way of knowing that.

“Jihadis in Syria operate

in highly mobile units, us-

ing Toyota pickup trucks

with high-caliber weapons

mounted on them,” he

said. “Each of those vehi-

cles is considered a tactical

unit and represents a legiti-

mate military target.”

Amnesty’s report focuses

on six attacks in Homs, Idlib

and Aleppo provinces be-

tween September and No-

vember which it says killed