UN: Over 700 Doctors and Healthcare Workers Killed in Syrian Civil War

A United Nations investigative commission announced on Tuesday, June 21, that since the onset of the Syrian civil war, more than 700 doctors and healthcare workers have been killed, with most casualties resulting from airstrikes. According to AFP, the UN commission condemned the horrific violations of human rights by jihadist groups, specifically expressing concern over the recruitment of hundreds of children by the al-Nusra Front, affiliated with al-Qaeda. Paulo Pinheiro, head of the commission, stated in his report to the UN Human Rights Commission that widespread and targeted airstrikes on hospitals and medical centers across Syria have led to significant civilian casualties and the deaths of many doctors and healthcare workers who are urgently needed. He added, 'Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war, more than 700 doctors and healthcare workers have been killed due to attacks on hospitals and clinics.' Pinheiro noted that attacks on medical facilities and the deaths of numerous healthcare workers have made access to medical services in Syria extremely difficult, and in some areas, completely impossible. He said, 'As civilian casualties increase, the number of healthcare workers and facilities decreases, and access to medical services becomes more limited than before.' In part of his report, he condemned the ongoing attacks on civilian centers such as markets, schools, and bakeries, adding, 'With each of these attacks, war-affected people find themselves in an increasingly vulnerable situation. Many schools, hospitals, mosques, and water supply centers in Syria have been destroyed.' Over the five years of the Syrian civil war, more than 280,000 people have been killed, and half of the country's population has been displaced. Pinheiro also mentioned that the commission is investigating reports indicating that 'the al-Nusra Front and other jihadist groups affiliated with al-Qaeda in Idlib, located in northwestern Syria, have recruited hundreds of children under the age of 15.' Many Syrian children are unable to attend school due to violence and widespread destruction, and human rights activists have warned that this situation is creating an environment conducive to recruiting children into jihadist ranks. Pinheiro simultaneously condemned various forms of human rights violations by the 'Islamic State' group. The Syria Incident Investigation Commission warned in a report published last week that the 'Islamic State' group continues its genocide of the Yazidi minority in Iraq and Syria. The 'Islamic State' group perpetrated a massacre of many Yazidi Kurds, primarily living in the mountainous region of Sinjar in northern Iraq, in 2014, and took thousands of Yazidi girls and women captive. Following these attacks, most Yazidis fled the Sinjar region. In another part of his report to the UN Human Rights Commission, Pinheiro stated, 'Right now as we speak, many Yazidi women and girls are held captive as sex slaves, subjected to brutal rape and beatings. They are bought and sold like property in markets and are passed around among the fighters of this group.' He added, 'Young boys are forcibly separated from their families and sent to ISIS training camps from the age of seven.' He urged the international community to take action 'to prevent the continuation of genocide.' Vian Dakhil, a Yazidi member of the Iraqi parliament, also called for international action. She told reporters on the sidelines of the UN Human Rights Commission meeting, 'We ask the UN Security Council to refer this issue to the International Court in The Hague.' Dakhil added that there are still 3,200 Yazidi women and girls held captive by the 'Islamic State' group, and about a thousand boys under the age of 10 are being brainwashed and trained for combat. 'These events are still ongoing, and we need help.' In this context, dozens of American diplomats have 'called for airstrikes against the Assad regime.' Putin: The solution to the Syrian crisis is to hold new elections. Against the backdrop of ISIS attacks on the positions of the Syrian army and US-backed forces, the dynamics of 'proxy wars' change; war against the people in the streets of Iran. The first paragraph; the responsibility of the opposition and the possibility of radicalizing Iranian society. The death of the last Mossad representative in Tehran amid the Iran crisis.