UN Horrified By Attacks On Civilians In Syria

It was the first time in two years that the council agreed on a political statement on Syria, which French Deputy Ambassador Alexis Lamek described as “historic”.

The Douma Civil Defense team of volunteer search and rescue workers has now documented 95 of the dead by name, a further five that couldn’t be identified and 11 bodies still stuck in the rubble, the group’s local media liaison officer Majid Khalaf told VICE News on Monday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 200 people were also injured in a string of 10 airstrikes on the rebel-held town of Douma.

“Sunday’s attack would be yet one more war crime for which those responsible must be held accountable”, he said.

Government forces have been pounding Douma with attack jets as well as so-called barrel bombs – improvised explosives rolled out of helicopters.

An AFP photographer said residents were trying to bury victims of Sunday’s attack, despite the renewed strikes.

‘They went early to the cemetery to begin the burials, ‘ he said.

Eastern Ghouta, a rebel bastion regularly targeted by government air strikes, has been under a suffocating siege for almost two years.

The UN’s humanitarian chief has said he is “horrified” by the attacks on civilians taking place in Syria.

De Mistura’s statement said the attack followed “the indiscriminate shelling of Damascus last week by armed opposition groups and the cutting of water supplies, all measures which affect civilians and are also unacceptable”.

Iran never accepts any regional or global solutions ignoring the role of the Syrian government and nation, Velayati said. “I appeal to every party engaged in violence and fighting to protect civilians and to respect global humanitarian law”.

During his three-day visit, O’Brien met officials including Foreign Minister Walid Muallem to discuss ways of improving UN humanitarian operations in the country.

Douma-based activist Baraa Abdul-Rahman said the streets there were empty and most people were staying indoors.

All are seeking a way to break an impasse politically though many key differences remain, especially those over the future of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria.

Syria’s military has frequently been accused of targeting civilian sites, including hospitals and bread queues.

The worldwide community has also strongly condemned the air raids.

Coalition head Khaled Khoja said the Assad regime’s “boldness in committing massacres against civilians for 53 consecutive months depends on global silence that amounts to complicity”.