A UN panel on Wednesday said the evacuation of eastern Aleppo, after months of siege and aerial bombing by Russian and Syrian forces, was one of many war crimes committed by those fighting for control of Syria’s largest city.
The findings came amid open-ended peace talks mediated by a UN envoy, and could bolster opposition demands for a political transition in which Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would cede power — something the Syrian government has adamantly rejected.
The Commission of Inquiry on Syria unveiled a report looking at violations by all parties in last year’s battle for Aleppo, including the indiscriminate bombing of civilian areas, and the use of chemical agents and cluster munitions.
The commission singled out a “particularly egregious attack” in which Syrian warplanes targeted a humanitarian aid convoy.
“The scale of what happened in Aleppo is unprecedented in the Syrian conflict,” commission chairman Paulo Pinheiro said.
Aleppo was the economic capital of Syria before becoming a major battleground after rebels swept in during the summer of 2012. The capture of eastern Aleppo in December last year was a huge victory for al-Assad and shifted the military balance in his favor.
The agreement to evacuate rebel-held eastern Aleppo gave civilians no option to remain at the end of the protracted campaign, in which daily aerial bombings killed hundreds of people and left all the hospitals in the area out of service.
The commission said the conditions of the agreement amounted to “the war crime of forced displacement.”
The report looked at violations committed between July 21, when the siege of rebel-held part of Aleppo started, and Dec. 22, when Syrian troops and their allies assumed full control of the city.
It drew on the testimony of 291 eyewitnesses, satellite imagery and an array of material, including medical reports, forensic evidence and information provided by UN member states.
“For months, the Syrian and Russian air forces relentlessly bombarded eastern Aleppo city as part of a strategy to force surrender,” Pinheiro said. “The deliberate targeting of civilians has resulted in the immense loss of human life, including hundreds of children.”
The commission said it was often difficult to know whether specific strikes were carried out by Russia or the Syrian government.
However, it said it had determined that Syrian warplanes targeted hospitals on at least two occasions and deliberately attacked a humanitarian aid convoy.
“The munitions employed [against the convoy] were particularly appropriate for attacking unarmored vehicles and individuals,” the report said.
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