Air strikes that hit a school in Syria’s rebel-held Idlib province killed 22 children and six teachers, the UN children’s agency UNICEF has said.
“The killing must stop.” @UNICEF on recent school attack in Daraa, Syria. Full statement: https://t.co/yW2HVKKDbM pic.twitter.com/mK3Tcg0LoI
— United Nations (@UN) October 13, 2016
“This is a tragedy. It is an outrage. And if deliberate, it is a war crime,” UNICEF director Anthony Lake said yesterday.
“This is a tragedy. It is an outrage. And if deliberate, it is a war crime” ED Tony Lake on school attack in #Syria https://t.co/lGYMZNsa0h
— UNICEF Media (@UNICEFmedia) October 27, 2016
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said “warplanes — either Russia or Syrian — carried out six strikes” in the village of Hass, including on a school complex, killing 11 schoolchildren.
Lake said the school compound was “repeatedly attacked,” adding that it may be the deadliest attack on a school since the war began more than five years ago.
A photograph circulated on social media showed a child’s arm, seared off above the elbow, still clutching the strap of a dusty black rucksack.
One day this child hand & school bag will testify against those killing our children & those ignoring or aiding the killers. #Hass #Syria pic.twitter.com/4HasXSsfPu
— شبكة الثورة السورية (@RevolutionSyria) October 26, 2016
“When will the world’s revulsion at such barbarity be matched by insistence that this must stop?” added the UNICEF director.
After two attacks on #Syria schools, children, teachers & parents search for the courage to move forward https://t.co/R4hwmavSzY pic.twitter.com/0yFJ6XKXL6
— UNICEF (@UNICEF) October 27, 2016
Asked about the attack, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin responded:
“It’s horrible, horrible. I hope we were not involved. — It’s easy for me to say ‘no’ but I’m a responsible person. I need to see what our minister of defense is going to say,” he told reporters.
#Syria: Airstrikes in #Idlib kill 22, mostly children, outside school https://t.co/MwUWUtoRxf pic.twitter.com/RwJQFnVAXb
— DNA (@dna) October 27, 2016
Syrian government forces and their Russian ally have been accused by Western powers and rights groups of carrying out indiscriminate attacks on civilian infrastructure.
More than 300,000 people have been killed in Syria and over half of the country’s population displaced since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.
Feature Image Source: Twitter