Amnesty Says Syrian Rebels ‘May Have’ Committed War Crimes In Aleppo

"Armed groups surrounding the Sheikh Maqsoud district...have repeatedly carried out indiscriminate attacks that have struck civilian homes, streets, markets and mosques, killing and injuring civilians and displaying a shameful disregard for human life," Amnesty said in a Friday statement.

RT reports:

The organization's deputy Middle East director, Magdalena Mughrabi, said the attacks
 "may amount to war crimes,” Reuters reported.

"By firing imprecise explosive weapons into civilian neighborhoods the armed groups attacking Sheikh Maqsoud are flagrantly flouting the principle of distinction between civilian and military targets, a cardinal rule of international humanitarian law,” Mughrabi said.

The violence is part of intense fighting in the region between the Kurdish YPG militia – which is backed by the US in the fight against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) – and rebel groups, some of which are backed by foreign countries via Turkey.


The YPG currently holds and uninterrupted 400km (250 mile) stretch of territory along the Syria-Turkey border. Turkey, which is fighting Kurdish militants in a controversial operation in the country's southeast, views any YPG expansion with concern.

But despite any disapproval from Turkey, the YPG has been praised for its efforts against IS militants in Syria.