Syria: Amnesty accuses Turkey of war crimes 'Shameful disregard for civilian life', organization says

(ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, OCTOBER 18 - Amnesty International on Friday accused the Turkish military and Turkish-backed Syrian armed groups of committing war crimes during their operation in northeastern Syria.



A ceasefire was reached on Thursday. The international human rights organization said that the groups had ''displayed a shameful disregard for civilian life, carrying out serious violations and war crimes, including summary killings and unlawful attacks that have killed and injured civilians, during the offensive into northeast Syria'' that began on October 9.



One of the cases noted in the statement was the brutal killing of the Syrian Kurdish politician Hevrin Khalaf and her bodyguard by members of Ahrar Al-Sharqiya, part of the Syrian National Army, a coalition of Syrian armed groups equipped and supported by Turkey.



The report was based on statements by 17 people including medical personnel, journalists and IDPs, as well as video recordings. ''The information gathered provides damning evidence of indiscriminate attacks in residential areas, including attacks on a home, a bakery and a school, carried out by Turkey and allied Syrian armed groups,'' it said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said that at least 72 civilians have died in the operation on the front against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in northeastern Syria. (ANSAmed).



