World News U.N. urges Turkey to investigate executions in Syria

GENEVA (Reuters) – Turkey could be deemed responsible for summary executions by an affiliated armed group of recorded Kurdish fighters and a politician, acts that might amount to war crimes, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

The U.N. human rights workplace likewise stated it had documented civilian casualties triggered by air campaign, ground-based strikes and sniper fire every day given that the Turkish offensive started in northeastern Syria almost a week back.

Turkey and its Syrian rebel allies introduced a military offensive into Kurdish-held parts of the northeast saying it aims to defeat the Kurdish YPG militia which it views as terrorists for its links to separatists in Turkey.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) implicated Turkey-backed fighters of killing a Kurdish political leader in an ambush on a roadway in northern Syria on Saturday. A Turkey-backed rebel force denied the killing and said it had actually not advanced that far.

U.N. human rights representative Rupert Colville said video footage appeared to reveal executions of 3 Kurdish captives performed by Ahrar al-Sharqiya fighters, associated with Turkey, on the highway in between Hasaka and Manbij on Oct12

The United Nations had received reports that Hevrin Khalaf, a Kurdish political leader, was executed on the same highway by the very same group on the same day, he said, adding that summary executions may total up to war criminal offenses.

” Turkey could be considered responsible as a state for offenses by their affiliated groups as long as Turkey workouts reliable control of these groups or the operations in the course of which those infractions took place,” Colville told a news rundown.

” We prompt Turkish authorities right away to launch an unbiased, transparent and independent examination and to capture those responsible, a few of whom ought to be easily recognizable from the video footage they themselves shared on social networks,” he stated.

U.N. war crimes private investigators would follow up on all events, he added.

At least 4 civilians, including two reporters, were killed and dozens injured when a convoy was struck by a Turkish air strike on the Syrian town of Ras al Ain on Sunday, Colville stated.

The U.N. human rights workplace had reports of alleged air and ground-based strikes on 5 health centers by Turkish forces and affiliated groups. It had reports of attacks on civilian facilities, consisting of power lines, water materials and bakeries, he said.

Turkish authorities have actually reported that 18 civilians were killed in Turkey, including a nine-month-old baby, by cross- border mortar and sniper fire by Kurdish fighters, he said.