United Nations: Expressing concern over civilian killings in Syria’s Idlib, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday appealed to Russia, Iran and Turkey to “spare no effort to find solutions that protect civilians”. He warned that this would unleash a humanitarian nightmare unlike any seen in the blood-soaked Syrian conflict.
Around 3 million people live in Idlib which has been described by UN as the “dumping ground” for people evacuated and displaced from elsewhere in Syria during the seven-year war.
Claiming that they are targeting terrorist groups, Syrian government and Russian warplanes began airstrikes in Idlib last week in a possible prelude to a full-scale offensive to retake the region.
However, Guterres said, though the presence of terrorist groups cannot be tolerated, fighting terrorism does not absolve warring parties of their core obligations under international law.
Turkey had reiterated its calls for international backing for a ceasefire.