Russian warplanes kill 12 civilians as ceasefire fails in Syria

Despite repeated calls for restraint and announcement of a ceasefire, 12 civilians were killed in Russian airstrikes on January 21, said a war monitoring group. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), Russia warplanes launched airstrikes in rural Aleppo and Idlib.

Regime forces bombed the areas in eastern rural Idlib and western rural Aleppo after rebel factions carried out rocket attacks on the weapon factories a day earlier. SOHR documented deaths of 18 jihadi fighters in Russian bombardment and offensive launched by regime forces on the ground on the western countryside of Aleppo.

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Last week, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned the ongoing Syrian crisis with numerous civilian casualties despite the announcement of a ceasefire. Michelle Bachelet said that though the pursuit of a ceasefire is to be encouraged, it has failed to protect the lives of civilians.

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Call for de-escalation

Bachelet has called for an immediate cessation of hostilities in and around the ‘de-escalation’ zone of Idlib. The ceasefire agreement of January 12 has been unable to put a leash on violence and deaths in the Idlib province. High Commissioner’s office said that both pro-Government forces and non-State armed groups have continued to fight with an apparent disregard for international humanitarian law and the protection of all civilians.

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