TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

'STOP!' bombing, killing in Syria's Idlib: Trump

News Desk (Agence France-Presse)
Washington, United States
Mon, June 3, 2019

Share This Article

Change Size

'STOP!' bombing, killing in Syria's Idlib: Trump Smoke billows following reported Syrian government forces' bombardment on the town of Khan Sheikhun in the southern countryside of the jihadist-held Idlib province, on June 1, 2019. (AFP/Anas AL-dyab)

U

S President Donald Trump on Sunday told Syria and Russia to stop "bombing the hell" out of Syria's last jihadist stronghold Idlib.

"Hearing word that Russia, Syria and, to a lesser extent, Iran, are bombing the hell out of Idlib Province in Syria, and indiscriminately killing many innocent civilians. The World is watching this butchery. What is the purpose, what will it get you? STOP!" he said on Twitter shortly before he was to depart for a state visit to Britain.

His comments came after Syrian NGOs on Friday decried international inaction in the face of mounting violence in the northwestern region.

As well as killing dozens of civilians, the recent bombardments by Syrian and Russian forces in northwest Syria have pushed 300,000 people towards Turkey's border, the NGOs said at a press conference in Istanbul. 

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Friday that almost 950 people had been killed in the latest clashes in Idlib. 

A September deal was supposed to avert a full-out regime offensive on the province and adjacent areas held by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

But the jihadists have refused to leave the area, and the deal is on the verge of collapse as Syrian and Russian forces allied to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad ramp up air strikes and rocket fire.

Iranian fighters and Hezbollah paramilitary forces are also stationed in Syria to back the Assad regime.

The worsening unrest in Idlib comes with tensions soaring between Iran and the United States.

The stand-off has been simmering since the US last year withdrew from the 2015 nuclear treaty Iran reached with major world powers.

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.