Only a third of Russia’s airstrikes in Syria are targeting Islamic State and its imprecise attacks are forcing the population to flee, fuelling Europe’s refugee crisis, a senior US official said on Saturday.
The same day, an airstrike carried out by an unidentified power killed at least 39 people in a rebel-held town in the north-west of the country. The strike hit a court house and an adjacent prison, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
The airstrike on the town of Maarat al-Numan in Idlib province also wounded a large number of people, many of whom were in critical condition, the Observatory said.
Also on Saturday, a United Nations envoy visited Damascus to advance preparations for peace talks planned this month. Sources also confirmed that agreement was reached for aid to be delivered on Monday to Madaya, an opposition-held town where the UN says there have been credible reports of people dying of starvation. Aid will be sent simultaneously to two villages blockaded by rebels.
About 70% of the 5,000 air strikes carried out by Russia since it began its air offensive in Syria on 30 September hit rebels opposed to President Bashar al-Assad, rather than supporting the efforts of the US-led coalition against Isis, the US official told reporters in Brussels.
Rescue workers and rights groups said Russia’s bombing in Syria has killed scores of civilians at busy market places and in residential areas. Russia denies this. The Kremlin launched its airstrikes saying it wanted to help Assad, its main Middle East ally, defeat Islamic State and other militant groups.
“We are not convinced of what the Russian intentions are,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
“For a while, very few strikes were going against [Isis] and after a lot of public condemnation they turned a number of strikes against [Isis],” the official said, referring to Islamic State, the militant group that controls territory in Syria and Iraq.
The US official said Russia used fewer precision-guided munitions than the US and its allies.
“The Russian strikes that are not precise cause me great concern because I think there is an indirect correlation to the refugee flow,” the official said. “It is not just the pressure it is putting on Nato and the EU, it is also the humanitarian cost.”
Amnesty International said last month that Moscow’s actions had violated humanitarian law. Amnesty estimates at least 200 civilians were killed by Russian air strikes between 30 September and 29 November, which Russia denies.
Russia’s defence ministry has repeatedly denied targeting civilians, saying it takes great care to avoid bombing residential areas.
Syria’s civil war which began in 2011 has driven 4.4 million Syrians into neighbouring states from where many are trying to reach Europe.
The Syrian government told UN envoy Staffan de Mistura on Saturday it was ready to participate in peace talks but wanted to know who would take part from the opposition, Syrian state media reported.
Foreign minister Walid al-Moualem said it was important to see a list of groups that would be classified as terrorists as part of the new diplomatic process, flagging another potential complication.
Damascus views all the groups fighting to topple Assad as terrorists, including rebels who support a political solution and are represented in a recently formed opposition council tasked with overseeing the negotiations.
A statement from de Mistura’s office described Saturday’s meeting as useful and said the envoy had outlined preparations.
“The special envoy is looking forward to the active participation of relevant parties in the Geneva talks. He will be continuing his consultations in the region,” it said.
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