Photo: Syria Civil Defence rescue volunteers responding to Russian air raid.
From this video via The New York Times.
UPDATE: Demonstration Saturday 3rd October at 2pm, Russian Embassy, 6-7 Kensington Palace Gardens, London W8 4QP.
Facebook event page here.
Syria’s air force has been using Russian-supplied aircraft to kill civilians for years. Today the Russian air force killed Syrian civilians, bombing opposition-held areas. Putin’s government claims to be fighting ISIS, but these are not ISIS-held areas. This is instead a ruthless campaign to keep Putin’s client Assad in power.
Supported with Russian arms and money, the Assad regime has been to date the biggest killer in Syria, killing seven times as many civilians as ISIS this year. Putin has long been complicit in this slaughter; today there can no longer be any pretence otherwise.
While Assad has been helped by Putin, those nations supposedly standing with the Syrian people in their struggle for freedom have failed to match words with actions; have failed to enforce UN Security Council resolutions; have failed to protect civilians.
Demand an end to Assad’s and Putin’s slaughter.
Stand with Syrians fighting the tyranny of Assad, the terror of ISIS, and the imperialism of Putin.
Protect civilians.
LINKS
Putin in Syria: Russian Airstrikes Begin, But ISIS Is Not Primary Target, The Interpreter.
Today Russia launched airstrikes against multiple targets in Syria, but while it’s clear that non-ISIS rebels and possibly civilians have been killed, it’s unclear whether ISIS was even a target at all.
Syrian opposition leader: Russian strikes killed civilians, Reuters.
“The targeted areas in today's Russian air raid in Homs were those areas which fought ISIL and defeated it a year ago,” he said, using an acronym for Islamic State.
Russia Launches First Airstrikes in Syria, Officials Say, New York Times.
Russian officials and analysts portrayed the move as an attempt both to fight Islamic State militants and to try to ensure the survival of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, Russia’s main ally in the Middle East. But Homs is not under the control of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL.
Russia’s First Strikes in Syria Hit U.S. Ally, Not Islamic State, by David Kenner, Foreign Policy.
Syria Daily: Russia Begins Bombing of Rebels and Civilians, by Scott Lucas, EA World View.
Russia strike in Homs today. 33 civilians killed including 3 children and 1 @SyriaCivilDef volunteer. Updated photo. pic.twitter.com/71VbbD3Fsx
— The White Helmets (@SyriaCivilDef) September 30, 2015