Syria’s attack on Douma a war crime, UN political chief says

The UN statement was approved one day after Assad regime warplanes struck a rebel-held town near Damascus, killing at least 96 people.

The UN has warned that a Syrian forces’ airstrike in the Damascus suburb of Douma which killed over 100 people on Sunday may amount to a war crime. “This latest carnage is another reminder – if any was still needed – of the urgent need for the Security Council to act on its previous resolutions and take steps to stop indiscriminate attacks”.

“The government’s bombing of (Douma) yesterday is devastating”, de Mistura said.

Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said government planes continued to attack the market place after people arrived to evacuate the wounded.

On Monday, the photographer said residents were burying the victims of the attack. “Gravediggers have had to create a mass grave that is four layers deep to accommodate the dead”.

The photographer described Sunday’s attack as the worst he had covered in the town.

Douma is located in the Eastern Ghouta region, which is often attacked by the Assad regime.

While Stephen O’Brien, the undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, did not single out specific combatant groups for blame, he was particularly critical of airstrikes that killed as many as 100 civilians Sunday in Douma, a Damascus suburb.

The group also criticised opposition operating in the area for firing indiscriminately at civilians in nearby government-held territory, including the capital Damascus.

The European Union also condemned “escalating” violence in Syria.

‘I appeal to each and every party to this protracted conflict to protect civilians and respect global humanitarian law’.

He added that the intention of the activists was to put to death as many as possible at once, and unfortunately they had succeeded in their mission.

In an emailed statement, the opposition National Coalition accused the government of “deliberately” targeting civilians in Douma.

Amnesty accuses Syrian Government forces of carrying out at least 60 aerial attacks on Eastern Ghouta between January and June this year, which killed around 500 civilians. He said the death toll is expected to rise because numerous wounded are in critical condition.

Venezuelan Ambassador Rafael Ramirez said his country disassociated itself from references to a transitional government as it disregarded the “legitimacy of the government of President Bashar Assad and violates the sovereignty of these people”.