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Conflict in Syria

Germany refrains from calling Syria convoy attack 'bombardment'

Ulrike Demmer, deputy government spokesperson, says "there needs to be additional concrete evidence to call it a bombardment"

© EPA/SYRIA CIVIL DEFENSE

BERLIN, September 21./TASS/. The German government has no data confirming the fact of an air strike on a humanitarian convoy in Syria, Ulrike Demmer, deputy government spokesperson, said on Wednesday.

"The government has no verified data of its own on who is responsible for what happened," she said.

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In her statement, Demmer refrained from using the term ‘bombardment,' calling it an attack. In reply to a more precise question, she said there needs to be additional concrete evidence to call it a bombardment.

The deputy spokesperson said Germany condemned the attack.

A joint humanitarian convoy of the UN and the Syrian Red Crescent was hit near Aleppo on September 19. A UN spokesman said 18 out of 31 vehicles were destroyed or damaged but could not confirm this was an airstrike.

The US administration has blamed Russia for the attack on the convoy. The Russian Foreign Ministry has rejected the claims saying neither Russia nor Syria were behind the attack.

"Such unfounded and hasty accusations are designed, among other things, to distract attention from a strange ‘error’ made by pilots of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition on September 17 when its planes bombed the Syrian government troops positions near Deir ez-Zor," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

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Syrian conflict

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