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Conflict in Syria

UN secretary general urges investigation into deadly airstrikes in Idlib

The United Nations earlier said so far it was impossible to establish those responsible

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres EPA/SALVATORE DI NOLFI

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres

© EPA/SALVATORE DI NOLFI

UN, June 11. /TASS/. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Sunday called for an investigation into the the airstrikes that reportedly left dozens dead in the village of Zardana in Syria’s Idlib governorate, his spokesperson said.

Human rights groups have blamed Russia for the attack. The United Nations earlier said so far it was impossible to establish those responsible.

"The Secretary-General expresses deep concern about the airstrikes that reportedly targeted the village of Zardana in northern rural Idlib on the night of 7 to 8 June, killing dozens including children. He calls for a full investigation into the attacks, especially allegations that there was also a second strike targeting first responders, to establish accountability," UN Secretary-General Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

He reiterated that Idlib was a de-escalation zone, established as part of an agreement reached in May 2017 in Astana by the three guarantor nations of the Syrian ceasefire - Russia, Iran and Turkey.

The UN chief "calls on its guarantors to uphold their commitments," the spokesman said.

"He calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities and urges all stakeholders to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure," he added.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (the other version of the name of the Syrian Human | Rights Monitoring Center) and While Helmets said last week that a Russian plane allegedly delivered an airstrike on June 7 in the area of the community of Zardan in the province of Idlib. As a result, 38 people are said to be killed and about 60 injured.

On June 8, the Russian Defense Ministry denied the reports, saying that those allegations "have nothing to do with the reality." "According to available information, there was fierce fighting in the past twenty-four hours in the said district of the province of Idlib between a large formation of the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organization [outlawed in Russia] and the Jaysh al-Ahrar irreconcilable opposition grouping with the use of heavy artillery guns," the defense ministry said.

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