Amnesty: Russian, Syrian Government Forces Target Hospitals

Russian and Syrian government forces have been targeting hospitals as a strategy of war in Syria’s conflict

In this file photo made from the footage taken from Russian Defense Ministry official website on Friday, Oct. 9, 2015, a bomb is released from Russian Su-34 strike fighter in Syria. Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP

BEIRUT—Russian and Syrian government forces have been targeting hospitals as a strategy of war in Syria’s conflict, according to a report released by a rights group Thursday.

Amnesty International said it has “compelling evidence” of at least six deliberate attacks on medical facilities in the Aleppo governorate over the past twelve weeks, which killed at least three civilians, including a medical worker, and injured 44 more. It said the attacks amounted to war crimes.

Aleppo witnessed some of the country’s fiercest fighting in the buildup to the partial cease-fire that came into effect Friday as government forces backed by Russian airstrikes cut off a rebel supply route from Turkey.

Debris cover a street and flames rise from a building following a reported airstrike by Syrian government forces on March 7, 2014, during the Friday prayer in the Sukkari neighborhood of the northern city of Aleppo. Baraa al-Halabi/AFP/Getty Images