Two civilians, Hussein Aboud al Aboud and Ismail Farzat Mas’oud were killed, and two others, one of them a teacher, were wounded in Syrian regime forces’ artillery shelling of the main market in the center of Afes village in the eastern suburbs of Idlib governorate, on February 27, 2022. The shelling also severely damaged several shops and market facilities.
SNHR notes that the village’s main market has been almost empty recently as most of the village residents were displaced as a result of previous military operations by the Syrian-Russian alliance in the region.
Through this bombardment, Syrian regime forces have unquestionably violated UN Security Council Resolutions 2139 and 2254, which prohibit arbitrary attacks, as well as willfully disregarding international humanitarian law concerning the distinction between civilians and combatants. Such actions also contribute to spreading further fear amongst civilians, uprooting them from their homes and lands and forcing them into displacement, with the number of IDPs in Syria now reaching around 6.5 million Syrian citizens. The international community must pressure the Syrian regime and its allies to compensate the displaced victims and rebuild the homes and vital facilities, and must support the political transition process and pressure the parties to implement the political transition within a period of time not exceeding six months so that millions of displaced persons can return safely and securely to their homes and have stability.
Exclusive image for SNHR showing the damages in the main market in the village.
Image showing the victim Hussein Aboud al Aboud.
