Criticism mounts of Russian strikes on hospital, as Kurds advance
Beirut (dpa) - Russia was facing intense criticism Tuesday of its aerial campaign backing the Syrian government, after Moscow was accused of hitting hospitals in opposition-held areas.
Turkey and France both said Russia had committed war crimes while UN human rights spokesman Rupert Colville said it appeared that the bombings were a military tactic and could amount to war crimes.
Russia formally denied it hit the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) hospital in northern Syria, an area where rebels are ceding ground to both government forces and the Kurdish YPG militia, capitalizing on Moscow's airstrikes.
"We categorically denounce such claims. Every time it turns out that whoever makes such claims is unable to even somehow confirm them," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in comments carried by state news agency TASS.
Almost 50 people, including many children, were killed Monday in multiple missile attacks on hospitals and schools in Syria, the UN said.
Meanwhile, UN special envoy for Syria Staffan De Mistura was in Damascus, trying to give life to efforts on reaching a ceasefire.
However, as de Mistura arrived in the country late on Monday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad poured cold water on the proposal in an address to lawyers, raising worries that the government, which is on a winning streak against rebels, will not be keen on a deal.
World powers last week, during the Munich security conference, called for humanitarian actors to be allowed to freely deliver aid throughout Syria and for a "cessation of hostilities" to begin within a week.
"Now they say they want a ceasefire within a week. Fine, but who is able to draw together all these conditions and requirements within a week? Nobody," al-Assad said in a speech.
De Mistura has called for the peace talks between the Syrian government and the opposition to resume in Geneva on February 25.
The situation in northern Syria is looking increasingly bad for the rebels, while the Kurds make advances. This has caused concern in neighbouring Turkey.
Turkish artillery bombarded overnight Kurdish positions around the city of Azaz and its southern parts, killing at least three members of the People's Protection Units (YPG), according to the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel-Rahman, in comments to dpa.
The shelling came a few hours after Kurdish-led forces captured Tel Rifaat, a key town that had been occupied by rebels near the Turkish border in northern Aleppo province, the Britain-based observatory said.
The Kurds are moving further east, pushing towards the rebel stronghold Marea, which borders territory held by Islamic State.
The Dogan news agency in Turkey said Turkish military sources claimed the shelling was in response to Kurdish fire towards Turkey. The Kurds denied this.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu says Turkey's "national security" is threatened by the advance of the Kurds and the collapse of the rebels, and has pledged that Azaz would not fall out of opposition control.
A Turkish official told reporters that Ankara would like to see a ground operation in Syria, but this would only be possible with allies, including the United States.
"Without a ground operation, it is impossible to stop the fighting in Syria," the official said.
Ankara is worried about Kurdish gains stoking nationalism among the Kurdish minority inside Turkey as well as the YPG's links to the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which is fighting state security forces.
Turkey has imposed fresh curfews on districts in the mostly-Kurdish south-east, as fighting with the PKK persists after a two-year ceasefire broke down last year.
The pro-PKK Firat news agency said the YPG is battling al-Qaeda and other jihadist groups in Aleppo province, but Syrian Arab activists have said other, more moderate factions are also in the area.
Turkey, a staunch backer of the Syrian opposition and rebels, accused Russia of committing "obvious war crimes" and accused Moscow of worsening the civil war.
European and US leaders have urged all the parties to the conflict, including Turkey and Russia, to calm tensions rather than inflame the violence.
The Russian Defence Ministry said its military had hit 1,600 "terrorist facilities" in Syria and did not confirm any strikes on civilians.
