UN panel alleges war crimes in battle for Aleppo

A UN panel said Wednesday the evacuation of eastern Aleppo, after months of siege and aerial bombing by Russian and Syrian forces, was one of many war crimes committed by those fighting for control of Syria’s largest city.

The findings came amid open-ended peace talks mediated by a UN envoy, and could bolster opposition demands for a political transition in which Syrian President Bashar Assad would cede power – something the government has rejected.

The Commission of Inquiry on Syria unveiled a report looking at violations by all parties in last year’s battle for Aleppo, including the indiscriminate bombing of civilian areas, and the use of chemical agents and cluster munitions.

The panel singled out a “particularly egregious attack” in which Syrian warplanes targeted a humanitarian aid convoy.

“The scale of what happened in Aleppo is unprecedented in the Syrian conflict,” said the commission’s chairman, Paulo Pinheiro.

Aleppo was the economic capital of Syria before becoming a major battleground after rebels swept in during the summer of 2012. The capture of eastern Aleppo in December was a huge victory for Assad and shifted the military balance in his favour.

The agreement to evacuate rebel-held eastern Aleppo gave civilians no option to remain at the end of the protracted campaign, in which daily aerial bombings killed hundreds of people and left all the hospitals in the area out of service.

The commission said the conditions of the agreement amounted to “the war crime of forced displacement.”

The report looked at violations committed between July 21, when the siege of rebel-held part of Aleppo started, and Dec. 22, when Syrian troops and allied forces assumed full control of the city.

It drew on the testimony of 291 eyewitnesses, satellite imagery and an array of material, including medical reports, forensic evidence and information provided by UN member states.

“For months, the Syrian and Russian air forces relentlessly bombarded eastern Aleppo city as part of a strategy to force surrender,” Pinheiro said. “The deliberate targeting of civilians has resulted in the immense loss of human life.”