Packground: Despite the agreement on deciding “de-escalation” zones in Syria between several international actors to the Syrian conflict, indiscriminate and deliberate attacks have not fully ceased. Recording violations of international law and of “de-escalation” agreement are still reported on a daily basis in Syria. Targeting public facilities are not the last of these violations, in particular hospitals and medical centers, which the pace of their attacks increased in September 2017 when at least two medical centers were bombed in Eastern Ghouta prior to the Astana conference on 14 September 2017, in addition to six attacks against other medical centers after the Astana conference.
Syrians for Truth and Justice-STJ in partnership with Justice for life Organization and Syrian Archives had issued an extensive report on a series of attacks targeting medical facilities during April 2017, specifically in Idlib province. The report entitled “Medical Facilities under Fire” expanded investigation of attacks on hospitals and medical facilities that used to provide medical services to more than 1.3 million people.
Military and Political Context
The Astana conference was held on 14 September 2017 in the Kazakh capital where the Guarantor States (Russia, Turkey, and Iran) agreed on several points, according to the statement issued at the conclusion of the conference, among those points:
- Announce the creation of the de-escalation zones according to the Memorandum of May 4, 2017, in Eastern Ghouta, in certain parts in the north of Idlib province, Homs province, and certain parts of the neighboring provinces of (Lattakia, Hama, and Aleppo), and also in certain parts of southern Syria.
- Allocate the de-escalation control forces on the basis of the maps agreed upon in Ankara on 8 September 2017 and in accordance with the Terms of Reference for deployment of de-escalation control forces prepared by the Joint Working Group on de-escalation in the security zone in the de-escalation area of Idlib province and certain parts of the neighboring provinces with the aim to prevent clashes between the conflicting parties.
- Form Joint Iranian- Russian- Turkish Coordination Center aimed at coordinating activities of de-escalation control forces.
Militarily, Idlib province is under almost complete control by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham-HTS[1], as 15 July 2017, large areas in Idlib and its countryside experienced clashes and military confrontations between Ahrar al-Sham al-Islamiyya[2] on the one hand and HTS on the other. According to STJ researchers, the confrontations erupted after intense disputes and recrimination between both sides because each party desired to expand its control over Idlib city, the province center. An STJ researcher said that these confrontations involved most of Idlib province from north to south and from east to west, resulting in dozens of civilian casualties and injuries. The confrontations ended when HTS captured the entire “Idlib city” and large areas of its countryside until 23 July 2017, after the withdrawal of Ahrar al-Sham al-Islamiyya from those areas and the conclusion of an agreement among them, which some of its terms provided a ceasefire and the release of prisoners between both parties.
The factions involved in the battle were HTS and Turkistan Islamic Party[3]. Several armed jihadist factions had announced the battle “O Servants of Allah, be Steady” on September 2017 against the Syrian regime strongholds in the north countryside of Hama, Jaysh al-Nukhba[4], Jaysh al-Izza[5], Jaysh al-Nasr[6] and Jaysh Idlib al-Hur[7].
Preface
This report covers several incidents occurred in September 2017 when medical facilities were targeted and bombed, being in areas already in the de-escalation zone agreement or areas subsequently declared to be covered by this agreement.
This report documents the attacks took place prior to the Astana conference held on 14 September 2017 (specifically attack on two medical centers in Eastern Ghouta in Damascus countryside), as well as attacks after convening the conference.
Methodology
The report adopts in its methodology many testimonies and interviews conducted by both the field researchers in Idlib province or by the report-based team, where medical staff, eyewitnesses, families and aid providers were interviewed, in addition, the report-based team analyzed dozens of images and videos that showed many of the attacks reported in this piece during September 2017.
You may Read & Download the full report in PDF version by clicking here,
[1] January 28, 2017, Several jihadist factions in northern Syria announced integration under a new name “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham-HTS”, these factions are: Jabhat Fateh al-Sham- formerly al-Nusra Front, Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement, Liwaa al-Haqq, Jabhat Ansar al-Din and Jaysh al-Sunnah. However, following the recent clashes between HTS and Ahrar al-Sham in northern Syria July 15, 2017, Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement declared its separation from HTS on July 20, 2017.
[2] Ahrar al-Sham al-Islamiyya was formed on November 11, 2011 with approximately 25, 000 combatants. It is an Islamic military faction formed of integration of four Islamic factions: Kataeb Ahrar al-Sham, al-Fajr al-Islamiyya Movement, Jamaat al-Taliaa al-Islamiyya and al-Iman Fighting Brigades. Ahrar al-Sham al-Islamiyya actives in many areas that are not held by Syrian government, especially in the provinces of Idlib, Aleppo, and Hama, and is headed by Hasan Sofan/Abo al-Barra, born in Lattakia 1979, the ex-prisoner who was sentenced for 12 years in Sednaya Military Prison but released late 2016 following the prisoner swap agreement.
[3] Its fighters hail from East Turkistan in China; they moved to Syria following the murder of Hakim Allah Masoud, the Leader of Taliban in 2013, they fight mainly with al-Nusra Front due to the proximity of their thought to al-Qaeda ideology and they are estimated about 4000 fighters and distributed in the western countryside of Idlib.
[4] Formerly Jaysh al-Tahrir, a military opposition faction formed in late February 2016 from five units, they are Jabhat al-Sham, 46th Division, 312th Division, the 9th Brigade and Saraya al-Haq314.
[5] Formerly Tajamul Izza, a military opposition group actives in Sahl al-Ghab northern Hama, its headquarter lies in Latamneh city located in Hama province.
[6] A military opposition faction formed in August 2015 after the merger of several fighting factions in Idlib, Hama and its countryside. The aim alleged of forming this faction was to liberate Hama and its countryside from Syrian government forces.
[7] Syrian military opposition alliance of three armed groups operate in northwestern Syria, they are Division 13, the Northern Division, and Liwaa Suqour al-Jebel.