U.S. Aircraft Banned from Flying Over ‘De-escalation’ Zones
United States and coalition aircraft will be banned from entering Syria’s “de-escalation zones” despite there being no mention of such a restriction in the agreement signed by Russia, Turkey and Iran in Astana on Thursday, reports Russia Today.
Aleksandr Levrentyev, Moscow’s representative at the talks in the Kazakh capital, confirmed on Friday that the safe zones would be closed to U.S. and U.S.-associated military aircraft.
“As for [the coalition] actions in the de-escalation zones, starting from now those zones are closed for their flights,” said Levrentyev.
“As guarantors we will be tracking all actions in that direction,” he added, conceding that there was no mention of a flight ban in the memorandum. “Absolutely no flights, especially by the international coalition, are allowed – with or without prior notification. The issue is closed.”
Delegates from Syrian rebel groups stormed out of Thursday’s press conference announcing the agreement, in protest at Iran’s involvement. However, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said he was “encouraged” by the Astana deal, according to a statement issued by his spokesman, which added: “It will be crucial to see this agreement actually improve the lives of Syrians.”
Missile Attack on Encampment Displaces Families Yet Again
Two hundred families were left homeless again when a missile struck a camp for displaced Syrians near the Turkish border on Wednesday, reports Syria Direct.
One young girl was killed and nine others were injured when the missile – launched by an unknown source – hit the Aleppo One camp, starting a fire that eventually destroyed 90 percent of the encampment.
It was the latest in a series of missile strikes on refugee encampments in recent days, coming just hours after an attack on the nearby al-Wafaa and one week after airstrikes targeted the al-Maaratah camp in the central Idlib province.
People who fled Aleppo One found shelter in nearby camps or under trees in an olive grove. “Thank God we got through the night – but it was very, very difficult,” said Abu Khaled, one of the displaced residents. “We just have the clothes on our backs. There’s no safe place left for people.”
U.S. Military Inquest Confirms Airstrike Hit Mosque
The U.S. military has confirmed that an airstrike in March did indeed hit a mosque in northern Syria, despite repeated denials by the Pentagon at the time, reports CNN, citing two unnamed U.S. defense officials.
The Central Command investigation found that the strike by U.S. drones and aircraft, which resulted in 40 deaths, had targeted a building that was part of a “mosque complex” in Aleppo province.
The probe was launched following the release of scores of images on social media, showing injured and dead civilians being removed from the debris. At the time, U.S. officials insisted the attack had hit an al-Qaida meeting place, not a place of worship, which – alongside schools and hospitals – is on the Pentagon’s list of proscribed targets.