UN aid chief urges greater access in Syria after first visit

On Monday, the UN’s humanitarian chief fiercely condemned attacks against civilians in Syria at a press conference in Damascus.

The political statement issued by the Security Council on Monday was the first to be agreed by its members in two years.

He’s described the civilian casualties in Syria as a shameful blot on the world’s conscience.

Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said locals had gathered after a first strike hit a market in the town to help evacuate the wounded when the additional raids hit. “Gravediggers have had to create a mass grave that is four layers deep to accommodate the dead”.

Douma lies in the rebel bastion of Eastern Ghouta, a region outside the capital that is the regular target of government air strikes.

A new report from rights group Amnesty global accuses Syria’s government of committing war crimes against the 163-thousand people living under siege in Douma and other suburbs around Damascus.

“Any talk about political and peaceful solution to the Syrian conflict in light of the daily and systematic regime massacres…is meaningless”, said the coalitions’ Khaled Khoja.

It was approved hours after UN officials, including peace envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, expressed horror at regime air strikes that killed almost 100 people in a rebel-held town near Damascus.

The war in and around Damascus – Assad’s seat of power – has also escalated. “I appeal to each and every party to this protracted conflict to protect civilians and respect worldwide humanitarian law”.

More than 240,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began with anti-government protests in March 2011.

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

The global community has also strongly condemned the air raids.

Mr Abdelrahman, whose group has a network of activists around the country, said a total of four missiles were fired on the market, killing 82 and wounding more than 200.

The Observatory confirmed the attack in Latakia city but said three had been killed.

“Whereas some of our partners believe that the parties need to agree ahead of time that al-Assad will step down at the end of the transitional period, Russian Federation does not accept this approach, and openly says so”.

With the West busy in fighting off ISIS terrorists in Iraq over the past year, it turns out Assad had allegedly been killing thousands of people in his country.