Reuters/Geneva
The United Nations accused Islamic State insurgents yesterday of committing war crimes including amputations and public executions, sometimes in the presence of children, and said it believed Damascus had used chlorine gas in combating its enemies.
The Sunni militants, who are bringing weapons from Iraq, have changed the power balance in Syria, consolidating control over large areas and establishing order by imposing harsh Shariah law, the UN said in its latest report.
“Executions in public spaces have become a common spectacle on Fridays in Al Raqa and ISIS-controlled areas of Aleppo governorate (province),” the report said.
“Children have been present at the executions, which take the form of beheading or shooting in the head at close range... Bodies are placed on public display, often on crucifixes, for up to three days, serving as a warning to local residents.”
The independent investigators voiced deep concern about boys forced to join the ranks of Islamic State who are being trained in camps in Syria that could be targeted by US air strikes.
US President Barack Obama vowed “justice will be done” against the Islamic State killers of American journalist James Foley on Tuesday as the United States sought to identify targets for potential air strikes in Syria.
“We are aware ... of the presence of children in training camps, I think that this decision by the United States must respect the laws of war and we are concerned about the presence of these children,” Paulo Pinheiro, chairman of the UN commission of inquiry, told a news briefing in Geneva.
“ISIS poses a clear and present danger to civilians and particularly minorities under its control in Syria and in the region,” Pinheiro said.
Syrian government forces have dropped barrel bombs on civilian areas, a war crime under international law, including some believed to contain the poison gas chlorine in eight incidents in April, the investigators said in latest report.
Previously they had only been able to conclude that the chemicals came from Syrian government stockpiles.
“We’ve looked at eight instances of alleged chlorine attacks and we found specifically that according to our evidentiary test, they were dropped - the chlorine came with the barrel bombs - dropped from government helicopters particularly onto civilian areas,” said Vitit Muntarbhorn, a commissioner.
Syria’s military and air force continue to commit serious violations, including aerial bombardment and barrel bombing particularly of Aleppo, Daraa and Rural Damascus, Pinheiro said.
“There has been also an increase in reports of enforced disappearances, sexual assaults in detention centres and the arrest of female relatives of wanted persons,” he said.
Members of the Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic (from left) Vitit Muntarbhorn, Karen Abuzayd, Paulo Pinheiro (chairman) and Carla del
