Assad regime ‘willfully’ killing civilians from air

DAMASCUS: The Damascus regime, under the leadership of President Bashar Assad, has “willfully” killed thousands of civilians in airstrikes that amount to war crimes, Human Rights Watch said yesterday, as fighters lobbied the major powers for weapons.
G8 foreign ministers meeting in London said yesterday they were “appalled” by the rising death toll of more than 70,000 in the Syrian conflict and urged all countries to boost aid to a UN appeal for the country.
But their statement had no mention of supplying arms to the fighters as the opposition has demanded, saying only that there should be greater “humanitarian” assistance for those caught up in a conflict that is now in its third year.
“They called on all countries to join with them in maximizing their contributions to the latest UN appeals and to provide them with direct support in order to help them face this challenging situation.”
Overshadowing the talks was a Wednesday statement by the head of Al-Nusra Front pledging allegiance to Al-Qaeda chief Ayman Al-Zawahiri, which has increased concerns about weapons falling into the wrong hands.
Meanwhile, details emerged of fierce fighting for two towns in southern Syria on Wednesday in which monitors said at least 57 people were killed, among them six children.
Human Rights Watch said bakeries and hospitals were among the civilian targets that been hit by airstrikes as the regime resorts to an increasingly indiscriminate use of its air power.
“Individuals who commit serious violations of the laws of war willfully — that is intentionally or recklessly — are responsible for war crimes,” the New York-based watchdog said in a report titled “Death from the Skies.”
“Syrian government air strikes that have deliberately or indiscriminately killed civilians appear to be part of systematic and widespread attacks against the civilian population that Human Rights Watch previously found amount to crimes against humanity,” it added.
Basing its findings on investigations in opposition-held areas of three provinces, the New York-based group documented airstrikes on four bakeries and two hospitals, along with other civilian targets.
One hospital in the northern city of Aleppo, the Dar Al-Shifa, had suffered at least four attacks alone.
“Airstrikes have killed more than 4,300 civilians across Syria since July 2012,” HRW said.