The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Aleppo

  • Massacre in Aleppo leaves medical NGO pleading for no fly zones, aid

    Massacre in Aleppo leaves medical NGO pleading for no fly zones, aid

    An intense aerial bombing campaign over Eastern Aleppo, which started on September 22 and continued throughout the weekend, has left over 300civilians dead and over 1,600 injured in the past week. Ground personnel report over 80 children have died and hundreds more are terribly maimed and wounded.

    “In the five years of this war we have never seen so much trauma and death in our hospitals.” Said Dr. Bakri M. – One of the last remaining Surgeons in Aleppo.
    Three of the four Syrian Civil Defense (The White Helmets) response centers have been attacked and one completely destroyed, reducing emergency response capacity by 50%. Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations (UOSSM) doctors anticipate a surge in casualties/ injuries in the coming days from patients who were unreachable.

    ussom1“We don’t have enough medical supplies, we don’t have beds, patients are scattered in the hallways and dying on the floor. We can’t do anything if the airstrikes continue”- Said Dr. Bakri M.

    The few remaining hospitals that have not been destroyed are overwhelmed with the number of patients injured and dying. This weekend’s attack has been the worst any doctors in Aleppo have seen in the past 5 years.

    For the survival of our patients and staff, we plead for No Fly Zones over Aleppo. We ask all citizens to demand this from their governments. We ask for private and government donations to immediately support our clinics in Aleppo. UOSSM will continue its work despite the dangerous conditions and incredible challenges. Our staff is still committed to providing care to everyone in need, regardless of race, religion or politics.

    Over 90% of all civilian injuries in Aleppo are caused by air strikes. Using jets and the most advanced technology to drop untargeted munitions such as cluster bombs and barrel bombs in civilian neighbourhoods is nothing short of sadistic. The outcomes are clear that these methods, when used in populous cities, only injure and maimed civilians, not military targets. Precision attacks only seem to be used when targeting medical facilities, aid workers and humanitarian convoys.

     

    Breakdown of casualty so far, according to Aleppo Forensic Group:

    Reporting and data collection in the field has proven challenging due to overwhelming circumstances.

     

    94   – Casualties on Friday, September 23

    96   – Casualties on Saturday, September 24

    106 – Casualties on Sunday, September 25  

    18   – Casualties on Monday, September 26

     

  • Airstrike kills 4 aid workers of Europe based NGO in Syria

    Airstrike kills 4 aid workers of Europe based NGO in Syria

    Four staff members of the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations (UOSSM) were recently killed, and one nurse is in critical condition after an air strike hit a medical facility.

    The airstrike hit Khan Touman medical triage point in Aleppo and complete destroyed the facility and two ambulances. In total, 14 victims died along with many more injured.

    syriaThe medical triage point provides triage and emergency medical services to approximately 750 wound patients a month. Ahmad Dbais, UOSSM Director of Hospitals and Trauma in the Northern Region said: “The building was three stories, two of which were above ground and one story was underground. Due to the intensity of the bombing all three levels collapsed and are now buried underground.”

    Two nurses and two ambulance drivers were killed. The fifth victim, a nurse, has suffered severe burns and is in critical condition. The patient has been transferred to Turkey to receive medical care.

    This attack comes one day after the UN/ Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) convoy was hit by air strikes leading to the death of the Director of the SARC and many other aid workers. It has been a deadly year for health care workers with 115 were killed in 2016 alone, and over 700 medical personnel have been killed since the beginning of the crisis in Syria.

    “REAL ACTIONS must be taken to protect aid workers and hold those responsible accountable. Many aid workers can’t work because they are being deliberately targeted. The fact that the international community sees this and continually fails to act is beyond comprehension.” Said Avi D’Souza, Global Director of Communications, UOSSM Intl.