At least 112 people were killed on Thursday (October 5) in an attack on a military academy in Homs, central Syria. A promotion ceremony for regime officers was taking place there at the time of the attack which was blamed on “terrorist organizations” by the Syrian army. It was carried out “using drones loaded with explosives”, according to the army, which promised to “respond firmly”.
The attack left “112 dead, including 21 civilians” and at least 120 injured, according to a new report from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH), an organization based in the United Kingdom with extensive research. network of sources in Syria. The Syrian Minister of Health, Hassan al-Ghobash, announced a “preliminary” toll of 80 dead, “including six women and six children”, and around 240 injured.
The attack has not been claimed. Jihadist groups which control part of Syrian territory sometimes use armed drones.
Eight people killed in reprisal
Government forces responded with bombings which, according to residents, targeted the Idlib region, the country’s last rebel stronghold, in the northwest. The OSDH reported eight deaths and 30 injured.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply concerned” after the attack in Homs, according to his spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric. He “is also deeply concerned by reports of retaliatory bombings” in northwest Syria.
For his part, the United Nations special envoy for Syria called for “immediate de-escalation”, hoping for the implementation of “a national ceasefire and a cooperative approach to the fight against terrorist groups registered on the Security Council list”.
“All parties must respect their obligations under international law and ensure the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure,” Geir Pedersen also declared in a statement published in Geneva. “I deeply deplore the loss of life on both sides. I urgently appeal to all parties to exercise maximum restraint,” he added.
During the night from Wednesday to Thursday, five members of the same family were killed in a bombardment by regime forces on a rebel area in the province of Aleppo (northwest).
Started in 2011, the conflict in Syria has left more than half a million dead and divided the country, where the United States, Russia, an ally of the regime, and Turkey have deployed troops in different regions.
