Syria: War Crimes and Use of Chemical Weapons While Great Powers Continue Poker

UN chemical weapons inspectors have announced they are collecting information following allegations of use of burning white phosphorus against children in Syria this week.

In particular, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons ( OCHO ) said Friday morning that it was "aware of the situation and is collecting information on possible use of chemical weapons".

The Kurdish Red Crescent said six patients, civilians and soldiers, were hospitalized in Hasakah with burns from "unknown weapons", adding that it was working to assess which weapons were used, according to the British Guardian.

However, she also said that she cannot confirm the use of chemical weapons and is working with her international research partners.

A British chemical weapons expert posted photos of a former colleague depicting a child with bad chest burns in front of a hospital. He estimated they could be chemical weapons burns.

CAUTION: The images below are cruel

Hamis de Britton Gordon, a former commander of the British Chemical, Biological and Nuclear Weapons Group, said: "The most likely cause is white phosphorus. It is a scary weapon and has been used quite often during the Syrian civil war. Unfortunately its use has grown considerably.

White phosphorus is used by many military forces around the world. Its legal use is to function as a tobacco during the day or to illuminate specific areas at night. However, its use against citizens is forbidden because it causes serious burns.

Amnesty International incriminating evidence

Amnesty International has accusations of committing serious violations and war crimes in Syria by the Turkish forces and a coalition of Syrian armed forces backed by Turkey.

The organization said in a statement that "Turkish military forces and a coalition of Syrian-backed Syrian armed groups are showing a shameful disregard for civilians' lives by committing serious violations and war crimes, including widespread killings and killed and injured civilians during the attack in northeast Syria. "

The material is based on testimonies between October 12th and 16th from 17 people, including medical and rescue staff, displaced civilians, journalists, members of local and international humanitarian organizations, as well as video analysis and medical review and review. and other documents.

The information gathered provides evidence of attacks that occurred indiscriminately in populated areas, including attacks on a house, a bakery and a school, carried out by Turkey and Syrian allied armed groups. They also reveal terrifying details of the cold-blooded murder of Syrian-Kurdish politician Hevrin Khalaf by members of Ahrar Al-Sharqiya, a Syrian National Army party, a coalition of Syrian-armed and Turkish-backed armed groups.

"Turkey is responsible for the actions of Syrian armed groups"

"The Turkish military offensive in northeast Syria has brought chaos to the lives of Syrian civilians who have once again been forced to flee their homes and live in the constant fear of inhumane bombings, kidnappings and assassinations. Turkish military forces and their allies have shown a truly inexplicable indifference to civilians' lives by carrying out illegal deadly attacks in residential areas that have killed and injured civilians, "said Kumi Naidoo, Secretary-General of the United Nations.

"Turkey is responsible for the actions of Syrian armed groups that support, equip and direct. So far, Turkey has given these armed groups the freedom to commit serious violations in Afrin and elsewhere. We again urge Turkey to put an end to the violations, hold those responsible accountable and protect the citizens living under their control. Turkey cannot evade responsibility by assigning war crimes to armed groups. "

The Kurdish-led health authority in northeast Syria said on October 17 that at least 218 civilians had been killed in Syria, including 18 children, since the attack began.

According to Turkish authorities, 18 civilians were killed and 150 were injured in Turkey by October 15 as a result of bombings attributed to Kurdish forces in Syria. If Kurdish forces set off explosive weapons in civilian areas in Turkey, this would violate international humanitarian law. They should stop these illegal attacks immediately.

Attacks on civilians in northeast Syria

In one of the most horrific attacks ever recorded, a Kurdish Red Crescent worker described how he pulled the bodies from the wreckage following a Turkish air bomber attack on October 12 at 7pm, when two gunshots fell near a school in Salhiye, where civilians had been transferred because of the battles seeking refuge.

"Everything happened so fast. In all, there were six injured and four dead, including two children. I couldn't tell if they were boys or girls because their bodies were black. They looked like charcoal. The other two people killed were big men, who seemed to be over 50 years old. Frankly, I'm still in a state of shock, "he said, adding that the nearest front was more than 1km away and that there were no fighters or military targets near the point of attack.

Another Kurdish Red Crescent worker described to Amnesty International his efforts to rescue an 11-year-old boy and an eight-year-old girl who were injured when bullets fell while playing outside their home near the Al-Salah mosque in Qamish. He said Qamishli had been severely attacked since October 10, where homes, a bakery and a restaurant were hit.

"The boy was injured in his chest. The injury was horrible. He had an open wound ... and he couldn't breathe. It looked as if the fragment had opened in two, "said a Kurdish Red Crescent worker.

The boy later succumbed to his wounds. His sister was also hit by a fragment in the attack and doctors were forced to amputate part of her leg below the knee. The rescuer said there were no military bases or checkpoints anywhere in the area.

In a separate incident on October 13, according to independent international observers, a Turkish air raid on a market hit a civilian convoy involving several journalists traveling between Qamishli and Ras al-Ain. According to the Kurdish Red Crescent, six civilians, including a journalist, were killed in the incident and 59 were injured. A journalist who was present at the scene and witnessed the attack described it as an "absolute massacre". He said the convoy consisted of about 400 civilian vehicles and that there were no fighters, only a handful of armed guards protecting the convoy.

"Hitting civilians is unjustified," said Kumi Naidoo.

"There is also no justification for bombing indiscriminately residential areas using non-precision weapons such as bullets. Such illegal attacks must be investigated and held accountable. "

The US is the largest arms exporter in Turkey. Other suppliers are Italy, Germany, Brazil and India. Amnesty International calls on states to immediately suspend arms shipments to Turkey and other parts of the conflict in Syria, including Kurdish forces, against whom there are credible allegations of serious violations of international law that could be used to or facilitating human rights abuses.

Murders with summary procedures and abductions

Amnesty International also confirmed a witness testimony, verified video recordings and examined a medical report revealing how Hevrin Khalaf, Kurdish politician and secretary-general of the future Syrian political party, ambushed October 12 in connection with the October 12 incident. Qamishli. Fighters from Ahrar al-Sharqiya pulled her out of her car, beat her and shot her cold. They also briefly killed her bodyguard.

On the same day and at the same location, Ahrar al-Sharqiya's fighters also captured and subsequently killed at least two Kurdish fighters. They also kidnapped two male citizens, who were working with a local medical organization and transporting drugs at the time of their arrest. Family members confirmed to Amnesty International that their whereabouts remain unknown. Amnesty International has verified that the time and date of the videos showing the extensive killings and abductions of the two civilians is on the afternoon of October 12th.

A close friend of Hervin Khalaf told Amnesty International that when she tried to call Hevrin, a man who identified himself as a Syrian armed opposition fighter and replied to her in Arabic, she told her: "You Kurds, you guys! you are complicit in the [PKK] party, ”and informed her that Hervin had been killed.

A medical report examined by Amnesty International reports a series of injuries to Hevrin Khalaf, including multiple injuries to the head, face and back, as well as fractures to the legs, face and skull, skull detachment. and hair loss because he was pulled out of his hair.

Horrible complaints by Kurds

Kurds on Thursday accused Turkish forces of bombarding Kurdish areas with unconventional, particularly lethal weapons, such as white phosphorus and arson napalm bombs.

These are attacks that at best cause extensive burns to their victims, and at worst cause horrific deaths as they burn alive.

Ceasefire on papers

Meanwhile, according to a new report by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, today at least 14 civilians were killed in northern Syria by Ankara air strikes and artillery bombardment by Turkish fighter allies.

"Air raids and shelling today killed 14 civilians in the village of Bab al-Hayr and other villages on the outskirts," according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Trump: Erdogan wants the truce implemented

US President Donald Trump said today that his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had reassured him, in a telephone conversation they had, that he was determined to implement the truce in Syria.

"I just spoke with President Erdogan (...). He really wants the ceasefire or the truce to work, "the US president wrote in a Twitter message.

"The Kurds want it too," he added.

In addition, the republican president said the Turkish president told him that "minor" incidents of gunfire and shelling in northeastern Syria were recorded despite the ceasefire, but they were soon eliminated.

Trump also confirmed that "some" European countries are ready to repatriate jihadists held in Syria.

"That is good news (…). Great progress is being made! "