Syrian government urges UN to stop US Coalition crimes in Syria

The US-led coalition, whose operation in Syria had not been authorized by the UN or Damascus, has denied that its airstrike resulted in civilian casualties in Deir ez-Zor.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry has urged the UN Security Council to put an end to the crimes against civilians committed by the US-led coalition.

“We once again ask the Security Council to take responsibility for preserving international peace and security and take immediate action to stop the brutal crimes committed by the illegitimate international coalition against the Syrian people,” the Damascus statement read, as quoted by the Syrian state news agency SANA.

In two letters addressed to the UN secretary general and the chairman of the Security Council, the ministry mentioned Monday’s deadly airstrikes conducted by an unidentified aircraft in the neighborhood of Deir ez-Zor, which Damascus has blamed the US-led coalition for.

According to Damascus, the coalition’s plans to reconstruct the destroyed city of Raqqa would not help to cover up its “heinous” crimes in the city.

On Monday, several media outlets reported citing the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights of deadly airstrikes conducted by an unidentified aircraft on the Syrian government-held neighborhood of Deir ez-Zor, killing at least 14 civilians and leaving 30 others injured. Army Col. Ryan Dillon, the spokesman for US-led anti-Daesh coalition’s Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), has denied that the coalition carried out an airstrike in the area.

Nevertheless, the Syrian Arab Crescent has reported that one of its volunteers had been killed and another one injured in Syria’s eastern city of Deir ez-Zor.

“Syrian Arab Red Crescent mourns the loss of red crescent volunteer, Mohamed Zakaria Al-Ahmad, who sacrificed his life in the line of duty in Deir Ezzour on Monday, 23/10/2017 due to the current circumstances in the city. at the same time, another volunteer, Rashed Al-Dandal, is wounded there.”

The organization has urged all parties to the conflict in Syria to respect and protect humanitarian aid workers, and to facilitate their mission.

The alliance, which includes over 70 members, has been conducting military actions in Syria without Damascus’ consent or a UN mandate. Damascus has recently rebuked the US-led coalition’s activities in the country, describing it as an “aggression” and a violation of Syria’s sovereignty and UN resolutions.