Syria war: Many dead in IS attack on displaced people’s camp

More than 30 civilians and Kurdish-led fighters have been killed in an attack by Islamic State militants near Syria’s north-eastern border with Iraq.

They targeted a makeshift camp for displaced Syrians and Iraqi refugees at Rajm al-Salibi, near the town of Shaddadi in Hassakeh province.

The militants also also clashed with members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) stationed at a nearby checkpoint.

The US-backed alliance is spearheading the battle against IS in eastern Syria.

Its Kurdish and Arab fighters are close to taking control of the strategically important Euphrates River Valley town of Tabqa and will soon launch an offensive to retake the de facto IS capital of Raqqa.

At least five IS suicide bombers blew themselves up outside and inside the camp at Rajm al-Salibi, south-east of the town of Shaddadi, at dawn on Tuesday, the Syrian Observatory, a UK-based monitoring group, reports.

At least 32 people were killed by the bombings and subsequent clashes, among them 21 civilians, and 30 other people were wounded, it adds.

According to Syria’s official Sana news agency, more than 30 civilians were killed and 34 wounded. It did not say whether there had been any suicide bombings.

The Kurdish Red Crescent put the civilian death toll at 22.

SDF fighters took wounded civilians to hospitals in the city of Hassakeh. Several were admitted to intensive care due to the severity of their injuries, according to medical sources cited by Sana.

The militants also abducted dozens of civilians during the attack, an Iraqi army source told the BBC.

It was not possible to verify the report. However, a similar allegation was made by the head of the Iraqi parliament’s human rights committee in an interview with Beirut-based al-Mayadeen TV and Sana cited some of those injured as saying they had lost contact with dozens of their relatives.

They included Syrians from Raqqa and Deir al-Zour provinces, as well as Iraqis who had fled the second city of Mosul, Sana reports. </s> Image copyright AFP Image caption People injured in the attack were taken to hospitals in the provincial capital of Hassakeh

More than 30 civilians and Kurdish-led fighters have been killed in an attack by Islamic State (IS) militants near Syria's north-eastern border with Iraq.

They targeted a makeshift camp for displaced Syrians and Iraqi refugees at Rajm al-Salibi, near the town of Shaddadi in Hassakeh province.

The militants also clashed with members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) stationed at a nearby checkpoint.

IS said the attack was one of several targeting "apostates" around Shaddadi.

The jihadist group is coming under mounting pressure in northern Syria from the SDF's Kurdish and Arab fighters, who are supported by the US, and from pro-government forces in neighbouring Iraq.

The SDF has driven IS militants out of much of Hassakeh and is close to taking control of the strategically important Euphrates River Valley town of Tabqa.

It will soon launch an offensive to retake the city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of the "caliphate" proclaimed by IS after the fall of the Iraqi city of Mosul in 2014.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, reports that at least five IS suicide bombers blew themselves up outside and inside the camp at Rajm al-Salibi, east of Shaddadi, at dawn on Tuesday.

At least 38 people were killed by the bombings and subsequent clashes, among them 23 civilians, and 30 other people were wounded, it adds.

According to Syria's official Sana news agency, more than 30 civilians were killed and 34 wounded. It did not say whether there had been any suicide bombings.

The Kurdish Red Crescent put the civilian death toll at 22.

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SDF fighters took wounded civilians to hospitals in the city of Hassakeh. Several were admitted to intensive care due to the severity of their injuries, according to medical sources cited by Sana.

An IS statement said six groups of militants had attacked SDF positions in Shaddadi and its surrounding area on Tuesday, including a "barracks" near Rajm al-Salibi, killing and wounding dozens of people.

An Iraqi army source told the BBC the militants had also abducted dozens of civilians during the attack on the camp.

It was not possible to verify the report. However, a similar allegation was made by the head of the Iraqi parliament's human rights committee in an interview with Beirut-based al-Mayadeen TV and Sana cited some of those injured as saying they had lost contact with dozens of their relatives.

Image copyright AFP Image caption There are several camps for refugees and displaced people along Syria's border with Iraq

About 300 families were waiting at Rajm al-Salibi - where conditions are harsh and there is little shelter - to be screened and allowed to enter SDF territory.

They included Syrians from Raqqa and Deir al-Zour provinces, as well as some of the thousands of Iraqis who have fled to Syria from Mosul since October.

As a result of the attack, approximately 400 people are being relocated from Rajm al-Salibi to another camp at al-Hol. </s> At least 32 people were killed on Tuesday in an Islamic State group attack near a refugee camp on the Syrian side of the border with Iraq, a monitor said.

"At least five suicide attackers blew themselves up outside and inside a camp for Iraqi refugees and displaced Syrians in Hasakeh province," Syrian Observatory for Human Rights chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.

Heavy clashes then erupted between the IS fighters and members of the Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters, some of whose combatants were among the dead, Abdel Rahman told AFP.

The camp lies in the Rajm al-Salibeh area just inside Syrian territory, and at least 21 of the dead were displaced Syrians or Iraqi refugees, the Observatory said.

"At least 30 people were wounded, and the death toll may rise because some people are in critical condition and others are still unaccounted for," the Britain-based monitor said.

The US-backed SDF has captured swathes of northern Syria from IS, and in recent days overran most of the strategic Euphrates Valley town of Tabqa.

The battle for Tabqa is an important part of a broader offensive for IS's main Syrian stronghold, Raqa, downstream. </s> Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Marta Hurtado

 Location: Geneva

 Date: 21 May 2019

 Subject: Idlib

GENEVA (21 May 2019) The UN Human Rights Office is extremely worried about the military escalation in northwestern Syria, despite the announcement of a recent 72-hour ceasefire. There has been some reduction in violence, but airstrikes and ground-based attacks continue to take place in various parts of Idlib and Hama governorates. The situation remains volatile and the possibility of renewed clashes is high, worsening the prospects for some 3 million civilians caught in the crossfire.

Both pro-Government forces and non-State armed groups fighting in northern Syria appear to have failed to respect the principles of distinction and proportionality under international humanitarian law, resulting in a high number of civilian casualties and injuries and significant damage to civilian objects, according to information recorded by the UN Human Rights Office.

Military objects have been placed in close proximity to civilians and civilian objects, resulting in civilian deaths and injuries, and causing significant damage to civilian infrastructure such as hospitals, mosques, schools and markets.

Non-State armed groups have launched ground-based attacks on areas under the control of Government forces and hit residential neighbourhoods and refugees settlements in Hama governorate and Aleppo city.

From 8 to 16 May, multiple attacks by pro-Government forces were registered, resulting in at least 56 civilians killed - including many women and children - and severe damage to five schools and one hospital. In the same period, attacks by non-State armed groups were reported, causing at least 17 civilian deaths, mainly women and children.

Since this latest military escalation started at the end of April, at least 105 civilians have been killed, and at least 200,000 people have fled the hostilities in southern Idlib and northern Hama.

In addition, the Office is also worried about the fate of people in al-Hol camp in al-Hassakeh Governorate in the northeast of the country. Currently, the camps hosts more than 70,000 people living in dire conditions.

The approximately 2,500 children under 12, born to ISIL-affiliated fathers are being kept with their mothers. Meanwhile, children older than 12 have reportedly been taken away from their mothers and are being held in separate unidentified “settlements”. Other reports suggest that Kurdish authorities are detaining those children in secret detention facilities in al-Hassakeh. Reportedly, they are neither allowed to communicate with their families nor have the families been informed about their whereabouts or status.

While the temporary restrictions of movement imposed on civilians at al-Hol and in other camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) run by the Kurdish authorities may be part of a screening and vetting process, the Office is concerned about the lack of clarity regarding how long these restrictions will last.

While any agreement to halt hostilities and spare civilians is to be welcomed and encouraged, this ceasefire agreement does not exclude that a large-scale offensive by Government forces and their allies aimed at re-taking territories in Idlib Governorate and surrounding areas remains possible in the near future.

Parties to the conflict are obliged to do everything feasible not to put civilians in harm’s way.

The forced removal of civilians for reasons related to the conflict may be done so only in order to guarantee their own security or due to military necessity and for no other reason. The failure of civilians to respond to an order to evacuate an area in no way affects their protected status under international humanitarian law.

For more information and media requests, please contact: Rupert Colville - + 41 22 917 9767 / rcolville@ohchr.orgor Ravina Shamdasani - + 41 22 917 9169 / rshamdasani@ohchr.org or Marta Hurtado - + 41 22 917 9466 / mhurtado@ohchr.org

 Tag and share - Twitter: @UNHumanRights and _Facebook: _unitednationshumanrights </s> US-led coalition’s air strikes kill at least 25 civilians in Syria

The US-led coalition’s air strikes have killed at least 25 civilians in the Syrian province of Al-Hasakah, leaving dozens wounded, TASS with reference to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported on Tuesday.

According to SANA, on Tuesday morning, air strikes were carried out on the Al-Fadl settlement located near the city of Al-Shaddadi. There are two elderly people among the victims, as well as women and children. Several residential dwellings have been destroyed, SANA reported.

Follow Trend on Telegram. Only most interesting and important news </s> A Syria monitoring group says an attack by Islamic State (IS) militants near a refugee camp in northeastern Syria killed at least 24 people.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 30 people also were wounded in the May 2 attack, which targeted a checkpoint at Rajm al-Salibi, the location of a refugee camp near the border between Syria and Iraq.

The predawn attack was in territory controlled by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Monitors say IS fighters sneaked into the village of Rajm al-Salibi, located along a front line that separates the Kurdish-controlled Hasakeh Province and IS-held areas further south.

The SDF, a coalition of Kurdish and Arab militias, has seized large swaths of northern Syria from IS during the past year, and is now waging a campaign to drive the extremist group from its de facto capital of Raqqa, Syria.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AP </s> rights chief Friday urged all parties to the conflict in Syria to

 take every feasible measure to spare civilians from the effects of

 the armed conflict, noting that they are increasing caught in

 the fighting between the government forces and the ISIL/Da’esh terrorist group.

 In particular, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid

 Ra’ad Al Hussein urged the air forces of the Syrian government

 and other States fighting ISIL in Syria to take much greater

 care to distinguish between legitimate military targets and civilians.

 “The rising toll of civilian deaths and injuries already

 caused by airstrikes in Deir-ez-Zor and Al-Raqqa suggests

 that insufficient precautions may have been taken in the

 attacks,” Zeid said in a statement from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

 “Just because ISIL holds an area does not mean less care can

 be taken. Civilians should always be protected, whether they are

 in areas controlled by ISIL or by any other party,” he added.

 Places such as the border city of Albo Kamal, where retreating ISIL

 fighters and their families are mixed in with some 100,000 people, including displaced Syrians and Iraqis are of particular concern, Zeid said.

 The same civilians who are suffering indiscriminate shelling and summary

 executions by ISIL, are also falling victim to the escalating airstrikes, particularly in the northeastern governorates of Al-Raqqa and Deir-ez-Zor, according to numerous credible reports of such incidents, he said, citing an airstrike of 14 May that reportedly killed 23 farm workers, including 17 women, in a rural village of eastern Al-Raqqa Governorate.

 Airstrikes on two residential areas of the ISIL-controlled city of Albo Kamal in eastern Deir-ez-Zor Governorate on 15th May reportedly killed at least 59 civilians, including 16 children and 12 women and injured another 70.

 The day after that, ISIL fighters are said to have cut the throats of eight men at the sites of the airstrikes, after accusing them of providing coordinates for the strikes. On 18 May, an ISIL attack on the Government-controlled village of Aqareb in rural eastern Hama Governorate allegedly resulted in the deaths of 36 civilians including women and children. </s> Syrian state media and a war monitoring group say airstrikes in Islamic State-held territory in north-eastern Syria have killed at least 23 people.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it was not clear if US-led coalition or Iraqi warplanes carried out the attack in the Hassakeh province.

The Observatory said those killed included 10 children, six women and seven elderly people.

The strikes took place in an area where US-backed and Kurdish-led forces are fighting to drive IS from some of the last pockets of territory it controls.

The state-run Syrian News Agency said 25 civilians were killed in the airstrikes south of Shadadi, blaming the US-led coalition. </s> Civilians and SDF members killed after five suicide bombers detonate explosives in Hasaka province, monitor says.

At least 37 people, including dozens of civilians, have been killed in an attack by ISIL suicide bombers targeting an area in northeast Syria held by US-backed Kurdish forces, according to a monitoring group.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said five suicide bombers detonated explosives in Rajm al-Salib, the location of a checkpoint and refugee camp in Hasaka province near the border with Iraq.

The explosions on Tuesday were followed by gun battles between other ISIL attackers and Kurdish fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) who were manning the area, leaving dozens of people wounded.

"The area where the attacks took place is where many refugees escaping violence in Iraq were gathering," Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of Observatory, told the DPA news agency, adding that the attackers might have come from Iraq.

The Observatory monitors Syria's conflict via a network of contacts on the ground.

Nasser Haj Mansour, an adviser to the SDF, confirmed to the Reuters news agency that several civilian casualties included people who fled ISIL from Syria's Deir Az Zor and Iraq.

ISIL, which stands for Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and is also known as ISIS, said via its Amaq website that a group of 16 fighters had launched an attack on Kurdish checkpoints, killing and wounding dozens.

It said some ISIL fighters carried out four attacks inside al-Shadadi city which mainly targeted military posts, while others carried out attacks inside Hariri village and a sixth squad hit the barracks at Rajm al-Salibi.

The attacks came as Kurdish fighters backed by the US-led, anti-ISIL coalition continued their mission in the town of Tabqa, which sits on a strategic supply route about 55km west of Raqqa, the de facto capital of ISIL in Syria.

"After taking the old city, we now control around 90 percent of Tabqa ... we advanced against the ISIL and pushed further to the other parts of the city," Jihan Sheikh, of the Ghadab al-Furat, a Kurdish group fighting under the SDF, told Al Jazeera on Tuesday.

The SDF, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias, has seized large swathes of northern Syria from ISIL in a campaign to drive the group out of Raqqa.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 38 people are killed, including civilians and Syrian Democratic Forces fighters, after ISIL militants attack a camp for displaced Syrian and Iraqi refugees near Al-Shaddadah, Al-Hasakah Governorate.