UN report blames civilian deaths in northwest Syria on government and rebel groups
The report by the United Nations' Syria commission details numerous possible war crimes in recent months by both pro-government forces and the rebel group HTS.
A lengthy UN report on northwest Syria includes apparent human rights abuse violations from both government and rebel forces.
The United Nations’ Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic released a report on “rampant human rights violations” in the Idlib province and surrounding areas on Tuesday, per a request from the UN Human Rights Council. The findings covered November 2019 to June 2020, and documented 52 attacks that killed civilians or damaged civilian infrastructure. Both pro-government and rebel forces were responsible for the attacks on hospitals, schools, markets and homes, the UN said in a press release.
“What is clear from the military campaign is that pro-government forces and UN-designated terrorists flagrantly violated the laws of war and the rights of Syrian civilians,” said commission chair Paulo Pinheiro in the release.
Northwest Idlib province is the last major rebel stronghold in Syria. The government of President Bashar al-Assad has regained control of most of the rest of the country. Turkey also controls parts of the north, while Kurdish-led forces control most of the northeast. Idlib is dominated by the al-Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which the UN designates as a terrorist organization.
