MSF hospital in Syria hit by 'double-tap' barrel bombing

[xht]

Seven killed in Homs attack, latest in apparent escalation of strikes on medical facilities in civil war

A hospital supported by Médecins Sans Frontières in Homs has been partially destroyed in a “double-tap” barrel bombing, a signature tactic of the Syrian air force.

The strikes on the hospital in Zafarana, a besieged town in northern Homs, killed seven people including a young girl, MSF said in a statement, and prompted the movement to nearby field hospitals of many wounded, some of whom died on the way.

Saturday’s strikes were the latest in an apparent pattern of escalating attacks on medical facilities and doctors in the Syrian civil war, according to human rights organisations.

MSF, which operates and supports a number of health centres and field hospitals in Syria, said the attack bore the hallmark of a double-tap strike, whereby the first bombing is followed by a second one after paramedics have arrived to help the victims. “This double-tap tactic shows a level of calculated destruction that can scarcely be imagined,” said MSF’s director of operations, Brice de le Vingne.

MSF, which operates and supports a number of health centres and field hospitals in Syria, said the attack bore the hallmark of a double-tap strike, whereby the first bombing is followed by a second one after paramedics have arrived to help the victims. “This double-tap tactic shows a level of calculated destruction that can scarcely be imagined,” said MSF’s director of operations, Brice de le Vingne.

The attack is the third on an MSF facility in two months. In October, an MSF hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, was all but destroyed by US airstrikes, killing 30 people including 13 medical staff in what the organisation called a blatant breach of international law. Later that month, an MSF-run hospital in the northern Yemeni province of Sa’ada was destroyed in a missile strike.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/01/syria-msf-hospital-homs-barrel-bombing

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[bryant.coleman]

In Syria, the rebel groups such as the Al Nusra Front and the Ahrar al Sham have been using infrastructure facilities such as hospitals and schools as bases to attack the regime forces for many years now. They are even launching rocket and RPG attacks from these facilities. Normally the Syrian Armed Forces avoid shelling these buildings, in order to avoid the civilian casualties.

[zenitzz]

All this information about barrel bombing a hospital. Many facts provided except for one. Who (which side) did the bombing?

[shiryu]

its true, terrorists want medical care to, just like normal people. and doctors without morals supply it. funny, think about it. they will pick and choose who gets the doctor and a perceived enemy will get a bullet before they see a doctor.

[zenitzz]

MSF accuses Saudi-led coalition of bombing clinic in Yemen

Nine people, including two staff, wounded in attack on mobile clinic in Taiz as charity says coalition had GPS coordinates
Médecins Sans Frontières has accused the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen of bombing one of its mobile clinics, wounding nine people including two staff members.

The international charity said it had provided the coalition with the GPS coordinates of the clinic in the besieged city of Taiz, the scene of intense fighting between forces backed by the coalition and troops loyal to the Houthis.

Yemen is now nine months into a war between the Houthis – Iranian-backed rebels from the northern province of Sa’ada who overthrew the government of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi – and the Saudi-led coalition which intervened to save Hadi’s government and holds the southern port city of Aden.

The crisis has sparked a humanitarian emergency with millions in need of aid and more than 5,000 dead. The security vacuum has empowered al-Qaida in the Arabian peninsula, one of the most powerful branches of the terror network, which this week seized two cities, including the provincial capital of Zinjibar in Abyan province.

A newly formed wing of Islamic State is also operating in Yemen and has carried out a series of suicide bombings, particularly against Houthi targets.

MSF said the coalition first bombed a park just 1.2 miles (2km) from the clinic on Wednesday. The charity informed the coalition that it was operating a facility nearby, but the clinic itself was bombed shortly afterwards.

It was the fourth such attack on an MSF facility in recent weeks. Earlier this week, the Syrian government bombed an MSF-supported hospital in Homs with a “double-tap” barrel bombing, and the coalition bombed another hospital in the Houthi-dominated province of Sa’ada in October. That attack came just weeks after an MSF hospital in Kunduz in Afghanistan was levelled by American airstrikes.

The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, called for an investigation into the Yemen bombing. “The secretary general underscores that medical facilities and medical personnel are explicitly protected under international humanitarian law. He calls for a prompt, effective and impartial investigation into today’s incident,” a statement said.

The Saudi-led coalition said in a statement carried on the state-run Saudi Press Agency on Friday that it had begun an investigation to “verify whether the news is true”. It said it would “publish the findings with the utmost transparency and frankness”.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/04/msf-accuses-saudi-led-coalition-of-bombing-clinic-in-yemen

[vero]

These medics have to stop supporting terrorists like the daughter of Ergodan whose has a hospital especially to attend wounded ISIS terrorists!!!

[bryant.coleman]

These medics have to stop supporting terrorists like the daughter of Ergodan whose has a hospital especially to attend wounded ISIS terrorists!!!

Turkey is operating dozens of hospitals inside its borders, to treat the wounded ISIS fighters. If the NATO really want to defeat the ISIS, then they have to first bomb these terrorist hide-outs to rubble. But I don't think that is going to happen anytime soon, as Turkey is the second most powerful member of the NATO (after the United States).

[hunnaryb]

For humanitarian reasons, I think there's not much we can do about these hospitals. They shouldn't be targets.

[saddampbuh]

they shouldn't have been there in the first place. if you're going to provide medical help for terrorists you deserve whatever you get.

[bryant.coleman]

they shouldn't have been there in the first place. if you're going to provide medical help for terrorists you deserve whatever you get.

I wouldn't blame the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). I believe that their real intention is to help the civilians living in the ISIS-controlled territory, who are suffering due to the lack of medical care. That said, the ISIS is using the MSF facilities, to stockpile their weapons, and to launch their attacks against the regime forces and Kurds.

[johnsmith1964]

If ISIS are forcing hospitals to provide services.... what can doctors and staff do?

The Syrian government as well as foreign jets MUST do much much more to avoid civilians. There targeting and killing must be accurate and not kill innocents. ISIS are actually killing more people and innocents than the west. But it is still the Assad government who is killing the most. They are quite reckless and should be told to be more careful by Russia and Iran and its supporters.

[bryant.coleman]

If ISIS are forcing hospitals to provide services.... what can doctors and staff do?

The doctors should pull out from the ISIS controlled territory, and tell the civilians to visit the regime controlled part of Syria in case they need medical treatment. Else, they should be prepared to face the collateral damage. If some ISIS militant fire a rocket or a missile towards a Russian fighter jet or helicopter from one of these MSF facilities, then the Russians are not going to sit back and watch.