Russia and Syria denied on Tuesday bombing a convoy of aid trucks in the northern province of Aleppo the previous evening, an incident the UN said could amount to a war crime.
Syrian military source said “there is no truth to media reports that the Syrian army targeted a convoy of humanitarian aid in Aleppo province,” state media reported.
The denial came shortly after Moscow said neither Russian nor Syrian jets bombed the aid convoy, which was carrying assistance destined for tens of thousands of people in northern Syria.
“The air forces of Russia and Syria did not conduct any strikes against the UN aid convey in the southwestern outskirts of Aleppo,” defense ministry in Moscow said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies.
At least 18 trucks in the 31-vehicle convoy were destroyed, according to the United Nations, which was carrying out the aid delivery alongside the Red Cross and Syrian Red Crescent.
The Red Crescent said the raids killed around 20 people including one of its staff members.
“Much of the aid was destroyed,” the humanitarian organization said, stressing that “the attack deprives thousands of civilians of much-needed food and medical assistance.”
Source: AFP
