ISIS Militants Kill at Least 135 People in Deir Ezzor
Islamic State militants slaughtered some 135 people in Deir Ezzor on Saturday including 80 Syrian army soldiers and pro-government militiamen, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Syrian state media estimated the number of fatalities to be closer to 300 people, calling it an “appalling massacre” committed as the extremist group made significant advances in the eastern city.
According to the state-run SANA news agency, most of Saturday’s victims were elderly people, women and children, but opposition activists said a large portion of those killed were Syrian soldiers, pro-government militiamen and their families, AP reports.
Al-Mayadeen TV, based in Lebanon, also reported the massacre and said dozens of bodies, including those of women and children, were thrown into the Euphrates River.
Nearly 400 civilians were taken hostage in the attack and transported to areas under ISIS control in the west of Deir Ezzor province, according to the report.
“Those abducted, all of whom are Sunnis, include women, children and family members of pro-regime fighters,” said Rami Abdulrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Saturday’s killings are some of the worst carried out by the extremist group, which controls large swathes of territory across Syria and Iraq.
U.N. Confirms Severe Malnutrition in Madaya
The United Nation’s Children’s Fund (UNICEF) confirmed cases of severe malnutrition in the government-besieged community of Madaya just outside Damascus, where local medical workers have reported 32 starvation deaths in the past month, Reuters reports.
“UNICEF… can confirm that cases of severe malnutrition were found among children,” the organization said in a statement released after the U.N. and Red Cross entered the town last week for the first time since October.
Of the 25 children under five years old screened by UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), 22 of them had signs of moderate to severe malnutrition. Another set of 10 children aged six to 18 were similarly examined and six showed signs of severe malnutrition.
Aid convoys entered Madaya on Monday and Thursday of last week, delivering much-needed food and medicine to the 42,000 people who have been cut off from the rest of the country for months.
The convoys also arrived to the rebel-besieged Shiite towns of Fuaa and Kafraya in Idlib.
The WHO is reportedly planning a vaccination campaign in Madaya for later next week.
Ankara Calls on Berlin to Increase Military Involvement in Syria
Turkey called on Germany Saturday to step up its military involvement in Syria if it wants to stop the flow of refugees into Europe, AFP reports.
“If Germany and others want to stop the influx of refugees, they must stop the bombings by Syrian and Russian forces against the Syrian opposition,” said Turkish deputy prime minister Mehmet Simsek to a German daily on Saturday.
German chancellor Angela Merkel is set to host Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Friday to discuss last week’s suicide bombing in Istanbul and the stream of migrants to Europe.
The Turkish P.M. said that when it came to the fight against ISIS, which has been blamed for the attack in Istanbul, “no one can pretend we aren’t doing anything.”
Turkey has been frequently criticized by its allies in the West for its light-handed approach to dealing with the extremist group.
As for the migrant crisis, Simsek said Turkey was in the process of building a fence along its border with Syria.
“The first 150km (95 miles) will be ready in March, but we need a coordinated strategy with our partners,” he said.
“Right now, we are giving refugees work permits that will stop a lot of people from travelling to Europe but also places a heavy burden on our labor market.”
According to Simsek, there are some 2.5 million refugees in Turkey, and in certain cities there are more refugees than Turks.
Recommended Reads
- NPR: As Aid Is Offered In Madaya, Other Regions In Syria Are Still Besieged
- UPI: Iraq and Syria: Siege Warfare and Attacks Against Islamic State Funding
- The Independent: Turkey in Crisis: ‘Ripple Effect’ From Syria and Iraq Sees Worst Flare-Up in Kurdish Conflict in 20 Years
- PBS: Inside the Harsh Living Conditions for Syrian Refugees in Turkey
- The Independent: Syria Crisis: Peace Talks Loom, But the Warmongers Won’t Be at the Table
Top image: Lebanese and Syrian anti-government activists hold a Syrian opposition flag during a sit-in against the ongoing siege on the Syrian town of Madaya in front of the European Union embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016. Government troops and allied militiamen have blockaded the rebel-held Syrian town of Madaya near Damascus for months. Doctors Without Borders said later that five people died of starvation after the first U.N. humanitarian aid convoy since October arrived in Madaya on Tuesday afternoon. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)