KABUL: (MEP) The United States has accused Russia on Tuesday over its military operations in Syria for killing hundreds of civilians since late September.
US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said on Tuesday, “Russian airstrikes in Syria have killed hundreds of civilians, including first responders, (and) hit medical facilities, schools and markets.”
He cited reports from what he called “credible human rights organizations,” a clear reference to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies heavily on a network of spies working for the foreign-backed opposition.
Some 130,000 Syrians were also displaced by Russian airstrikes in October and the first half of November alone, Toner stated.
The surprisingly sharp critique came as Washington banked on Moscow’s help to launch a Syrian peace process that would allow both countries to focus on defeating the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (SIS). Negotiations between representatives of Bashar Assad’s government and the opposition were expected to start next month, though hurdles remain.
Amid reports of indiscriminate killing by Russia, including the use of cluster bombs, Secretary of State John Kerry called Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov earlier this week to share his concerns. U.S. officials wouldn’t describe Lavrov’s response.
An Amnesty International report last week cited evidence of Russian use of cluster munitions and unguided bombs in populated residential areas. The group denounced what it called Russia’s “shameful failure” to acknowledge civilian killings.
Russia immediately rejected the claims, calling them “clichés and fakes.”
The US and some of its Arab allies have been carrying out airstrikes since September 2014 against ISIL inside Syria without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate.
