NOTE: Yesterday, 22 July, at least nine people were killed after gunmen attacked a shopping mall in Munich. It was a horrific action of terrorism, a crime against innocent citizens- our thoughts and solidarity goes to the families of those who lost their lives and to the German people. The Imperialists, too, expressed their sympathy and condolences for the victims of Munich. Among them, the Presidents of the United States and France, Barack Obama and Francois Hollande. Hypocrites! Just a few hours earlier, the governments of US and France had committed a bloody massacre by killing over 140 civilians- among them numerous children- after extensive airstrikes in the town of Manbij in Syria.
‘Bloody massacres’: Syria appeals to UN after French & US airstrikes ‘kill over 140 civilians’. Source: Russia Today.
Syria
is demanding the UN take action after it says French war planes
killed more than 120 civilians during airstrikes on Tuesday near the
Turkish-Syrian border. The deaths came just a day after US air
assaults killed a further 20 people in Manbij.
The
Syrian Foreign Ministry sent letters to the UN secretary general and
to the president of the UN Security Council, which at present is
Japan. Damascus wants the organization to look into atrocities
committed by France, which is a member of the US-led international
coalition, after it targeted the village of Toukhan Al-Kubra, located
near the Turkish-Syrian border and the city of Manbij.
“The
French unjust aggression claimed the lives of more than 120
civilians, most of them are children, women and elderly, in addition
to tens of wounded citizens, the majority of them are also children
and women as reports say that the fate of scores of other civilians
who still under debris are unknown too,” the
Syrian Foreign Ministry wrote, as cited by the Syrian
Arab News Agency.
The mass death toll in Toukhan Al-Kubra
came just a day after US war planes killed around 20 people, mainly
women and children, while many more were injured in and around the
city of Manbij, the Foreign Ministry states.
“The
government of the Syrian Arab Republic condemns, with the strongest
terms, the two bloody massacres perpetrated by the French and US
warplanes and those affiliated to the so-called international
coalition which send their missiles and bombs to the civilians
instead of directing them to the terrorist gangs… Syria also
affirms that those who want to combat terrorism seriously should
coordinate with the Syrian government and army,” the
ministry added.
In
the letter, the Syrian Foreign Ministry added that it condemns the
continued support by the US, France, Saudi Arabia, the UK and Qatar
to terrorist organizations such as Al-Nusra Front and Jaish Al-Islam,
despite these groups having clear links to Islamic State (IS,
formerly ISIS/ISIL) and Al-Qaeda.
The
human rights watchdog Amnesty International also hit out at the
US-led coalition, saying that it needs to do more to prevent the
deaths of civilians.
"Anyone
responsible for violations of international humanitarian law must be
brought to justice and victims and their families should receive full
reparation," Amnesty's
interim Middle East director Magdalena Mughrabi said, as cited by
Reuters.
A
spokesman for the US Department of Defense says that it is aware of
the loss of civilian life in Syria.
"We
are aware of reports alleging civilian casualties near Manbij, Syria,
recently. As with any allegation we receive, we will review any
information we have about the incident," Matthew
Allen said in a statement.
"We
take all measures during the targeting process to avoid or minimize
civilian casualties or collateral damage and to comply with the
principles of the Law of Armed Conflict," he
added.
The
US-led coalition has been providing air support to the rebel group
the Syrian Arab Coalition, which is involved in heavy fighting around
the city of Manbij, currently under the control of Islamic State.
The
terrorist group has been in control of the city since it seized large
swathes of Syria and Iraq in the summer of 2014.
In
an interview with NBC News last week, Syrian President Bashar Assad
said that the US is not interested in defeating terrorists in Syria
as it really wants “to
control and use them.”
“The
reality is telling that, since the beginning of the American
airstrikes, terrorism has been expanding and prevailing,” he
told the channel, specifying that “during
the American and alliance airstrikes, ISIS was expanding and taking
over new areas in Syria.”
“It’s
about being serious, having the will. The United States doesn’t
have the will to defeat the terrorists. It had the will to control
them and to use them as a card, like they did in Afghanistan. That
will reflect on the military aspect of the issue,”Assad
said.
