Aleppo bombings (April–July 2016)

The Aleppo bombings (April–July 2016) were intense bombardments on both rebel and government-held areas in the city of Aleppo, Syria starting in late April 2016. Some rebel shelling also hit a Kurdish-held part of the city. The bombings decreased in intensity after 55 days when a temporary truce was established.[3] However, the bombings continued through July.[1]

Aleppo bombings (April–July 2016)
Part of the Battle of Aleppo (2012–2016)
Aleppo Location of Aleppo within Syria
Location	Aleppo, Syria
Coordinates	36°13′N 37°10′E
Date	22 April – 18 July 2016 (2 months, 3 weeks and 5 days)
Target	Military and civilians
Attack type	Airstrikes and bombardments
Weapons	Aerial bombs, rockets, artillery and chemical weapons
Deaths	525 killed by government airstrikes and shelling (SOHR claim)[1] 416 killed by rebel bombardment[1][2]
Perpetrators	Syrian Air Force Russian Air Force Fatah Halab Al Nusra Front

The attacks

Al-Quds Hospital

On 27 April 2016, four consecutive airstrikes in an opposition-held district of Aleppo hit and destroyed al-Quds hospital and nearby homes.[4] Witnesses said a missile from a low-flying fighter jet hit the hospital directly.[5] The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 27 people were killed.[4] 14 patients and medical staff were killed according to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), which helped to support the hospital.[4] On 4 May 2016, MSF released a statement saying the death toll had risen to 55 after more bodies were found.[6] According to MSF, the pediatric unit of the hospital was almost completely destroyed and the emergency room and laboratory were both entirely destroyed.[6] MSF said the hospital would not be able to reopen for at least two weeks.[6]

NPR reported that Russia and the Syrian government were the only two groups with aircraft in the area.[5] According to a US State Department official, there were indications the Syrian government solely conducted the bombing of the hospital.[7] The Guardian reported that the attack was "part of a broader pattern of systematic targeting of hospitals by the government of Bashar al-Assad".[8] No one claimed responsibility for the airstrike.[5]

Malla Khan mosque

On 29 April, the Malla Khan mosque in a government-controlled neighborhood was hit by rockets, killing at least 15 people. The Syrian government reported that the Syrian rebels are behind the attack.[9]

Al-Dabit hospital

On 3 May the Syrian rebels fired rockets at government territory and killed 19 people. The rockets hit a hospital and killed 3 and wounded 17, according to government sources.[10]

Alleged chemical attacks

On 2 August, Russia claimed that the Nour al-Din al-Zenki Movement bombed with chemical weapons the government held areas of Aleppo, inflicting losses in civilian population.[2]

Reactions

•  United Nations - The UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura condemned the attack on the al-Quds Hospital and believes that it was a deliberate war crime.[11] The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights also condemned the "monstrous disregard for civilian lives by all parties to the conflict."[12]
•  France - The French government "utterly condemn the bombing targeted against Al Quds Hospital in Aleppo" and called for a meeting of the International Syria Support Group.[13]
•  Qatar - The Qatari envoy to the Arab League has called for a league meeting to discuss the "dangerous escalation seen in Aleppo were civilians are subjected to massacres at the hands of the forces of the Syrian regime, which led to the deaths and injuries of hundreds."[14]
•  United States - The US State Department was "outraged by yesterday’s airstrikes in Aleppo on the al-Quds hospital supported by both Doctors Without Borders and the International Committee of the Red Cross, which killed dozens of people, including children, patients, and medical personnel."[15]

References

1. SOHR (18 July 2016). "More than 900 civilian casualties since the start of the bombing escalation over Aleppo city until". Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
2. "Moscow blames rebels for 'chemical attacks' as Aleppo battle rages". Middle East Eye. AFP. 4 August 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
3. SOHR (16 June 2016). "Temporary truce announced after 55 bloody days that killed and injured more than 3500 civilian". Archived from the original on 18 June 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
4. "Aleppo's 'Last Paediatrician' Dies In Airstrike" Sky News. April 29, 2016. Archived from the original on April 29, 2016 on the Wayback Machine
5. "Syria Hospital Airstrike: Are The Rules Of War Breaking Down?" NPR. April 28, 2016.
6. "Al Quds hospital death toll rises to 55" Médecins Sans Frontières. May 4, 2016.
7. "Air strikes on Aleppo hospital kill doctors and children". Reuters. 28 April 2016.
8. "Airstrike on MSF-backed Aleppo hospital kills patients and doctors" The Guardian. April 29, 2016.
9. "The Latest: MSF says Syria hospital bombing killed 50". AP. 29 April 2016.
10. "Rebels launch assault in Syria's Aleppo, diplomats try to revive truce". Reuters. 3 March 2016.
11. "De Mistura: Aleppo hospital strike appears deliberate". Al Arabiya. 28 April 2016.
12. "Rebels shell mosque in Aleppo as truce declared for other parts of Syria". AP/CBC. 29 April 2016.
13. "Syria – Attack against Al Quds Hospital in Aleppo – Statement by the minister of foreign affairs and international development (April 27, 2016)". France Diplomatie. 27 April 2016.
14. "Qatar Requests Emergency Arab League Meeting on Aleppo Developments". Qatar News Agency. 30 April 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-05-10. Retrieved 2016-05-01.
15. "Attack on al-Quds Hospital in Aleppo, Syria". US Department of State. 28 April 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2017.