Many Dead in ‘Sickening’ Attack on UN Aid Convoy as Syria Declares Ceasefire is Over
Washington official says Russian or Syrian planes conducted airstrike near Aleppo that hit aid workers
A UN humanitarian aid convoy in Syria was hit by airstrikes Monday as the Syrian military declared that a US-Russian brokered ceasefire had failed, and UN officials reported many dead and seriously wounded.
The US initially brushed off Damascus’ assertions and said it was prepared to extend the agreement, while Russia — after blaming rebels for the violations — suggested it could still be salvaged.
But late Monday, US State Department spokesman John Kirby called the convoy attack an “egregious violation” of the week-long cease-fire and said the US “will reassess the future prospects for cooperation with Russia”.
A senior US official said the convoy attack was launched by Russian or Syrian government forces. “We know it was an airstrike and not one from the coalition. We don’t know if it was Russia or the regime,” the official said.
UN humanitarian chief Stephen O’Brien said initial reports indicate that many were killed or seriously injured in the convoy attack, including Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteers.
A Red Crescent warehouse was also hit and a Red Crescent health clinic was reported to be seriously damaged, he said.
O’Brien called the attacks “sickening” and said he was “disgusted and horrified.” He stressed that all parties received notification of the convoy, which was carrying aid for about 78,000 people.
UN officials said the UN and Red Crescent convoy was delivering assistance to the town of Uram al-Kubra, west of Aleppo city. Initial estimates indicated that at least 18 of the 31 trucks in the convoy were hit.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 12 were killed in the attack, mostly truck drivers and Red Crescent workers. The Syrian Civil Defence, the volunteer first responder group also known as the White Helmets, confirmed that casualty figure.
They posted images of a number of vehicles on fire in the dead of the night. A video of the attack showed huge balls of fire in a pitch black area, as ambulances arrived on the scene.
Jan Egeland, humanitarian aid coordinator in the office of the UN envoy for Syria,said in a text message that the convoy was “bombarded.”
Egeland added, “It is outrageous that it was hit while offloading at warehouses.”
O’Brien, the UN humanitarian chief, said there is no excuse “for waging war on brave and selfless humanitarian workers,” and warned that if they were deliberately targeted “it would amount to a war crime.”
Elsewhere at least 20 civilians, including a one-year-old girl, were killed in fresh airstrikes on rebel-held parts of Aleppo city and surrounding areas, according to the Observatory. And Russia said government positions in southwestern Aleppo came under attack from militant groups, including a massive barrage of rockets.
The week-old ceasefire had brought a brief respite to at least some parts the war-torn country.
Its future will be at the top of the agenda of a meeting Tuesday morning of about 20 countries supporting opposing sides in the Syria conflict, including the US and Russia, that belong to the International Syria Support Group.
In the wake of the Syrian military declaration, US Secretary of State John Kerry acknowledged that the first stage of the truce — which called for a week of calm and the delivery of humanitarian aid to several besieged communities — had never really come to fruition. Earlier in the day, Kerry told reporters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly that the truce was “holding but fragile.”
The State Department initially said it was ready to work with Russia to strengthen terms of the agreement and expand deliveries of humanitarian aid. Spokesman Kirby called on Russia, which is responsible for ensuring Syria’s compliance, to clarify the Syrian position.
A Russian Foreign Ministry statement late Monday night appeared to signal that the deal could still be salvaged, saying that the failure by the rebels in Syria to respect the cease-fire threatens to thwart the agreement.
The cease-fire came into effect on September 12. Under terms of the agreement, the successful completion of seven days of calm and humanitarian aid deliveries would be followed by an ambitious second-stage plan to set up a joint U.S.-Russian coordination centre to plan military strikes against the Islamic State group and a powerful al-Qaida-linked militant faction.
But from the start, the truce has been beset by difficulties and mutual accusations of violations.
Aid deliveries to the besieged eastern districts of Aleppo have not reached their destination. The UN accused the government of obstructing the delivery while Russian officials said rebels opened fire at the delivery roads.
By Monday, both the Syrian government and prominent opposition activists were speaking of the truce as if it had already failed.
George Sabra, of the opposition High Negotiations Committee, said on Monday that the truce has been repeatedly violated and did not succeed in its main objective or opening roads for aid.
“Hundreds of thousands of people in Aleppo are waiting for this truce to allow aid to enter the city,” he said, adding that aid trucks are still waiting on the Turkey-Syria border. “I believe that the truce is clinically dead.”
Additional reporting by Reuters
(Source: SCMP.com)