On November 22, 2021, fixed-wing warplanes which we believe were Russian carried out airstrikes using missiles in the vicinity of Taltita village, which is administratively a part of Kafr Takhareem town in the western suburbs of Idlib governorate, killing two civilians, named as Ayman al Qoudeh and Ibrahim Ibrahim, who were riding a motorcycle in the area. Earlier, the same planes had also bombed a nearby hill where internet communication towers are located, resulting in the severing of internet connections in the area.
SNHR notes that this bombardment is a breach of the ceasefire agreement reached following consultations between the Turkish and Russian presidents, which came into effect on March 6, 2020.
Through this action, Russian forces have, without doubt, committed another violation of UN Security Council resolutions 2139 and 2254 which prohibit any further indiscriminate attacks, as well as violating the rules of international humanitarian law which stress the distinction between civilians and combatants. Attacks of this nature spread terror and panic among civilians, leading them to flee their lands and homes in an attempt to reach safety, and forcibly displacing them, with the number of internally displaced persons within Syria currently standing at approximately 6.5 million Syrian citizens in total. The international community should put pressure on the Syrian regime and its allies to force them to compensate the displaced victims, rehabilitate homes and vital centers, support the process of political transition, and press all parties to pursue implementation of political transition according to a strict timetable which must not exceed six months, thus enabling millions of refugees and IDPs to return homes.
