US President Donald Trump on Monday warned his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad to not "recklessly attack" the rebel-held Idlib province, saying the offense could cause "human tragedy."



Damascus is preparing a phased offensive to regain governmental control in Idlib, a province in northwestern Syria which is controlled by insurgents fighting Assad's regime. Thousands of government troops and allied fighters have been grouping in areas surrounding the province.

Read more: Merkel to Trump - restrain Russia over Idlib

Trump's remarks came after Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that "terrorists must be purged" from the region after meeting with Assad and Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem on Monday.

"Syria's territorial integrity should be safeguarded and all tribes and groups, as one society, should start the reconstruction process, and the refugees should return to their homes," Zarif said.

Assad and Zarif also discussed what they referred to as "western pressure" on their respective countries, an apparent reference to re-imposed US sanctions on Iran.

Leaders from Iran, Turkey and Russia are set to meet in Iran to discuss the situation in Idlib in the coming days. Russia and Iran have insisted that militant groups in the province must be defeated and both are expected to support any assault by Assad's forces.

Iran has long been a backer of Assad's regime, lending crucial military and economic support throughout Syria's seven-year civil war. Iran's defense minister traveled to Damascus to meet with his Syrian counterpart and sign an agreement for defensive cooperation between the two countries.

Chemical threat

On Friday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington views an assault on Idlib as an escalation of the conflict in Syria. The State Department said the US would respond to any chemical weapons attack by Assad's forces.

Last month, the US, UK and France vowed to "respond appropriately to any further use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime." All three, as well as others, have accused the Assad regime of using weaponized chlorine against his own people.

On Monday, Assad and Zarif said that resorting to "threats and pressure reflect the failure of those countries to realize their plans for the region after Syria and Iran confronted them."

Idlib is home to some 3 million people. Tens of thousands fled to the region after surrendering in government offenses elsewhere.

UN officials warned last week that civilians are at risk and a Syrian offensive could trigger a wave of displacement that could uproot an estimated 800,000 people and discourage refugees from returning home.

Raqqa's mass graves — digging in the dirt Struggling to cope Local authorities affiliated with the Raqqa Civil Council are struggling to cope with the logistical challenges of recovering bodies and providing information to families looking for their missing or dead relatives. What used to be the grounds of the city's zoo is now in fact one of several sites of mass graves in Raqqa.

Raqqa's mass graves — digging in the dirt Shallow graves Mohammed Assad, the on-site autopsy doctor, said that due to the intense fighting victims' families and "Islamic State" (IS) fighters buried people in the quickest and simplest way possible, digging shallow graves and wrapping bodies in blankets.

Raqqa's mass graves — digging in the dirt Raising the dead The digging stops and a dusty blanket is pulled out from the ground. Three corpses are wrapped together inside. "In this grave we have three children wrapped together; the first one is about 2-months old, the second is 2-years old, and the third is 3-years old," Dr. Assad told DW.

Raqqa's mass graves — digging in the dirt Basic identification The local team members are volunteers who do not have forensic expertise. The on-site identification procedure of bodies includes the exhumation date, identification number, gender and general state of the body.

Raqqa's mass graves — digging in the dirt Laid to rest Dr. Assad said the people here died of conflict-related injuries; those crushed by rubble, killed by shrapnel, IS sniper fire or coalition airstrikes. But he also remembers one unusual case. "There was what appeared to be an execution, where the head was placed separately from the body."

Raqqa's mass graves — digging in the dirt Searching for relatives Mohammed Saleh, a Raqqa local, has come to search for the body of his dead brother. He leads Dr. Assad's team to where his brother’s body is supposedly buried. The team digs and finds a blanket. Mohammed points out to a recovered body; he believes it’s his brother.

Raqqa's mass graves — digging in the dirt Looking for a sign Mohammed Saleh asks for a razor to cut the trousers from the recovered body. He says his brother had a metal plate in the fibula. The team examines the leg but no metal plate is found.

Raqqa's mass graves — digging in the dirt Solitary thoughts Mohammed Saleh shares his thoughts before walking away to have some time for himself. "Without Daesh's [the Arabic name for IS — the ed.] presence in this place the international coalition airstrikes would have not taken place. Fate led to my brother's death," he told DW.

Raqqa's mass graves — digging in the dirt Little outside support Dr. Assad says the group has received little or no support from international non-governmental organizations. With Raqqa currently under US-led coalition control, NGOs are keeping a low profile to avoid stoking tensions between the Syrian government and Turkey.

Raqqa's mass graves — digging in the dirt Taking a break Dr. Assad's team takes a tea break. One of the team's members, Ibrahim Assad, has been digging for the past three months. He says he’s come here to help to bring some humanity to these bodies and to give the families the opportunity to provide their loved ones with a proper burial.

Raqqa's mass graves — digging in the dirt Just one of many According Dr. Assad's estimates there are about 150 bodies here. There were instances where three to four blankets were found in a trench on top of each other. At a second site, a football pitch, the team expects to find some further 200 bodies, while a third site is estimated to have around 500. Author: Filip Warwick (Raqqa)



dv/aw (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)

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