New U.N. Report Accuses Government, Opposition, of War Crimes in Aleppo

Government and opposition forces committed war crimes in the battle for Aleppo city, according to a new U.N. report by the Commission of Inquiry, said Al Jazeera.

The report also accused the Syrian government of deliberately bombing a humanitarian convoy in a “meticulously planned and ruthlessly carried out” airstrike. The strike, on a U.N. and Syrian Red Crescent convoy in the western Aleppo countryside on September 19, killed 14 aid workers.

The Syrian and Russian governments’ use of unguided munitions on densely populated areas in opposition-held parts of Aleppo between July and December 2016 amounts to a war crime, claims the report, released on Wednesday.

“Throughout the period under review, the skies over Aleppo city and its environs were jointly controlled by Syrian and Russian air forces … (They) use predominantly the same aircraft and weapons, thus rendering attribution impossible in many cases,” the report said.

It also accused the Syrian government of using toxic gas attacks and a “surrender or starve” tactic.

The report accused opposition groups of indiscriminately firing shells at government-held neighborhoods and of the war crimes of preventing civilians from fleeing eastern Aleppo as it fell and attacking the Kurdish neighborhood of Sheikh Maqsoud.

Russia Bombs U.S.-Backed Forces in Syria by Mistake, U.S. Says

Russian warplanes targeted U.S.-backed forces in northern Syria by mistake, AFP reported.

Russian and Syrian government airstrikes targeted several villages south and east of al-Bab on Tuesday, hitting U.S.-backed military they thought were so-called Islamic State forces, said U.S. Army lieutenant general Stephen Townsend.

“We had some Russian aircraft and regime aircraft bomb some villages that I believe they thought were held by ISIS, yet … actually on the ground were some of our Syrian Arab Coalition forces,” Townsend said.

The Syrian Arab Coalition forces are part of an Arab and Kurdish alliance, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), supported by the U.S. to fight against the so-called Islamic State.

The U.S. used a “deconfliction” hotline to warn Russia of the mistake, which Moscow denies.

“This information was taken into account by the Russian command. Not one strike was carried out by Syrian or Russian aviation on the districts pointed out by the American side,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Progress in Geneva, Opposition Says

Peace talks in Geneva inched forward as Russia pressured the Syrian government to address opposition demands for political transition, Al Jazeera reported.

A two-hour closed-door session with U.N. special envoy Staffan de Mistura led to “deep discussions for the first time,” said lead opposition negotiator Nasr al-Hariri.

“We heard from Mr. de Mistura that – due to Russian pressure, and this is a sign that can be initially encouraging – there is acceptance to tackle the issues enshrined in (U.N. Security Council resolution) 2254, and most importantly to us, political transition,” Hariri said.

Syrian government representatives have previously said that political transition is not on the table for discussion. Bashar al-Jaafari, lead government negotiator, has not yet commented on the opposition’s latest remarks.

RECOMMENDED READS:

• The New Yorker: Leaving Aleppo
• The Century Foundation: Syria’s Former Al-Qaeda Affiliate Is Leading Rebels on a Suicide Mission
• OCHA: Developments in Idleb Governorate and Western Countryside of Aleppo
• The New Arab: Syrian Doctor Coins New Term for Children’s Extreme War-Trauma
• Al-Monitor: Satire Under Siege in South Damascus