Syria and Russian planes have carried out deadly airstrikes on war crimes against schools, hospitals, and markets in Idlib province. U.N. investigators said in a report Tuesday that they also condemn the attacks of jihadist fighters.
The "indiscriminate bombing" of pro-government forces before the ceasefire in March with Turkey claimed the lives of hundreds and forced nearly a million civilians to flee, a crime against humanity.
The US Commission on Inquiry into Syria, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), is a jihadist group that controls a portion of northwestern Syria, with "no clear legitimate military objective" in civilian areas. No artillery fire.
HTS fighters, formerly known as the Nusra Front, tortured and killed prisoners.
"The military action makes it clear that pro-government forces and UN-appointed terrorists have violated the rules of war and the rights of Syrian civilians," UN panel president Paulo Pinheiro said in a statement.
It examines 52 "symbolic attacks" in northwestern Syria, with 47 attributed to the Russian-backed Syrian government.
On March 5, Russian warplanes were completely engulfed in a strike on a poultry farm near Marat Egypt, displacing people and three others on January 29 next to a rebel-held hospital in Ariha. Russia denies involvement in the next attack.
The region is home to a coalition of Islamic militant and opposition groups, many of whom have fled to other parts of Syria with Russian backing from President Bashar al-Assad, who has recaptured territory from them.
"There are reasonable grounds for the Commission to believe that pro-government forces have deliberately committed war crimes against medical personnel and facilities with the Air Force."
Panel member Karen Canning Abuja said: "The women, men, and children we interviewed faced the terrible option of bombing or deepening in the HTS-controlled areas where human rights violations are occurring.
"The actions of HTS members increase the number of war crimes." (Editing by Gareth Jones Reporting by Stephanie Nebby)
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