Syrian Coalition Condemns Horrific Massacre by Russian Air Force in Town of Atareb, Aleppo Province

Press release

Syrian Coalition

Media Department

November 13, 2017

The Syrian Coalition strongly condemns the brutal crime which was committed by aircraft of the Russian occupation forces in the town of Atareb in western rural Aleppo on Monday, November 13. Initial reports indicated that over 40 civilians were killed and hundreds more were injured when Russian jets fired vacuum missiles on a popular market in the town.

Russia, which has used every possible means to undermine the will of the Syrian people and impose devious schemes and projects on them, continues to wriggle out of its commitments and obligations towards the ‘de-escalation zones’ agreement. Instead of honoring its role as a so-called guarantor of the agreement, Russia bombed a popular market that was full of civilians in the town of Atareb in broad daylight, destroying dozens of houses and buildings though no rebel groups were stationed in the town which is under the authority of a civilian council and a local police force.

Instead of changing its positions and exerting pressure on the Assad regime to force it to seriously participate in the Geneva process and abide by UN Security Council resolutions and engage in direct and serious negotiations, this crime one again demonstrated that Russia is unwilling to change its stance. The crime has also proved that Russia is determined to side with the Assad regime; continue with the war crimes Against the Syrian people; and that it is not interested in stopping its crime nor forcing its allies to stop the crimes they are committing against the Syrian people.

The Syrian Coalition holds Russia directly and fully responsible for the war crimes it has committed in Syria since the beginning of its direct military intervention in Syria as well as for the crimes of genocide and the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons and other internationally prohibited weapons.

The Coalition calls on the UN Security Council to condemn this massacre and its perpetrators as well as to prosecute them by all possible means as war criminals and to take serious action to protect Syrian civilians from these continued massacres.