Airstrike destroys Doctors Without Borders hospital in Aleppo - Polidicks

[quote]An onslaught of airstrikes in rebel-held areas of the Syrian city of Aleppo has killed scores and destroyed a hospital supported by international aid groups, activists and humanitarian workers said Thursday, prompting the United Nations to warn of a “catastrophic deterioration” that could intensify an already dire humanitarian crisis. A two-month-old cease-fire had brought a brief respite to areas of Syria racked by fighting. But in a 24-hour period between Wednesday and Thursday, at least 60 people — including children and doctors — were killed in rebel-controlled neighborhoods of Aleppo, Syria’s largest city and once the country’s commercial center. Airstrikes Wednesday night collapsed a hospital supported by Doctors Without Borders and the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC), killing patients and staff members, including one of the city’s last pediatricians, the two aid groups said. The strikes were the latest in a series of increasingly violent attacks that have violated the truce, raising fears of a complete breakdown of efforts to end the years-long conflict. “I cannot express how high the stakes are for the next hours and days,” the chairman of the United Nations’ humanitarian task force on Syria, Jan Egeland, told reporters in Geneva. Egeland said Aleppo, which Syrian officials have said will be the target of an upcoming offensive, had suffered “a catastrophic deterioration” in the previous 24 to 48 hours.[/quote] [url]https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/airstrike-destroys-doctors-without-borders-hospital-in-aleppo-killing-staff-and-patients/2016/04/28/e1377bf5-30dc-4474-842e-559b10e014d8_story.html[/url]

[QUOTE]Airstrikes Wednesday night collapsed a hospital supported by Doctors Without Borders and the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC), killing patients and staff members, [B]including one of the city’s last pediatricians[/B].[/QUOTE] That's pretty depressing.

I didn't even know there was a docteurs sans frontieres how can the syrian airforce backed by russia still be so inept at targeting things even the U.S. hardly ever hits randomly like that, especially not a direct attack on a hospital isn't that basically like, a warcrime

[QUOTE=Fire Kracker;50220474]isn't that basically like, a warcrime[/QUOTE] If the hospital was flying a red cross, crescent or diamond, it is very much an actual warcrime.

[QUOTE=Fire Kracker;50220474]I didn't even know there was a docteurs sans frontieres how can the syrian airforce backed by russia still be so inept at targeting things even the U.S. hardly ever hits randomly like that, especially not a direct attack on a hospital isn't that basically like, a warcrime[/QUOTE] Barrel bombs are completely unguided explosives, cheap to produce in large quantities, and are a Syrian favorite for dropping en masse in populated areas for indiscriminate killing. It was intentional.

[QUOTE=Fire Kracker;50220474]I didn't even know there was a docteurs sans frontieres how can the syrian airforce backed by russia still be so inept at targeting things even the U.S. hardly ever hits randomly like that, especially not a direct attack on a hospital isn't that basically like, a warcrime[/QUOTE] actually they (USAF) quite recently beaned a MSF hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, in october last year. [URL]https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/us-airstrikes-in-kunduz-destroyed-more-than-a-hospital/2015/11/04/99ef78ff-468a-4113-ae05-086c3450f065_story.html?tid=a_inl[/URL]

[QUOTE=Worstcase;50220562]Barrel bombs are completely unguided explosives, cheap to produce in large quantities, and are a Syrian favorite for dropping en masse in populated areas for indiscriminate killing. It was intentional.[/QUOTE] Except it was not a barrel bomb because airplanes cannot drop them. It was more or less unguided bombs or semi-guided because it managed to hit its target with deadly accuracy. It was intentional however the motives for it could vary tho. On one part it could have been to just destabilize the situation in the area (They have done this before). The other was because rebels are garrisoning the building and using it for a FOB (Which has been done before also). That does justify it in a way even if its super shitty civilians and doctors get killed in the mess. Rebels do however tend to use civilian/medial buildings/housing to setup a forward operations post or base. The most clear proof one was them using the Azaz National Hospital to launch tows and whatnot. That was however a marked hospital which would be very obvious not to bomb it. The issue however is that it was unmarked. As the US has had this incident also you just never know what the purpose of the building is. Ambulances going in/out should make you question it but as you have seen in iraq people will even use them to transport troops. Now if the Hospital was marked it would be a blatant War Crime but because it was unmarked its not really but who the hells counting war crimes in the middle east anymore?

[QUOTE=Zonesylvania;50220571]actually they (USAF) quite recently beaned a MSF hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, in october last year. [URL]https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/us-airstrikes-in-kunduz-destroyed-more-than-a-hospital/2015/11/04/99ef78ff-468a-4113-ae05-086c3450f065_story.html?tid=a_inl[/URL][/QUOTE] Yeah, and that was apparently due to compounded mistakes and a faulty computer system, rather than indiscriminate bombing. We used to carpet-bomb cities as late as Vietnam though.

[QUOTE=Fire Kracker;50220474]I didn't even know there was a docteurs sans frontieres how can the syrian airforce backed by russia still be so inept at targeting things even the U.S. hardly ever hits randomly like that, especially not a direct attack on a hospital isn't that basically like, a warcrime[/QUOTE] They aren't, Russia is using dumb bombs and cheap fighters to fight this war on the cheap while putting on a show of superior Russian technology. They aren't using GPS bombs or anything just fly in and drop a bunch and leave, they even have used the same barrel bomb tactics Assad does

[QUOTE=Riller;50220535]If the hospital was flying a red cross, crescent or diamond, it is very much an actual warcrime.[/QUOTE] [thumb] https://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_2000w/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2016/04/28/Foreign/Images/2016-04-28T114601Z_01_SYR02_RTRIDSP_3_MIDEAST-CRISIS-SYRIA-ALEPPO-4845.jpg?env=A [/thumb] [quote] Burnt vehicles are pictured in front of the damaged the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)-backed al-Quds hospital after it was hit by airstrikes. [/quote] I mean, from the post-air strike photos it doesn't look like the hospital would be easily identifiable from the skies. Of course, before it was bombed it may have looked a lot different

[QUOTE=smithy285;50221466][thumb] https://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_2000w/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2016/04/28/Foreign/Images/2016-04-28T114601Z_01_SYR02_RTRIDSP_3_MIDEAST-CRISIS-SYRIA-ALEPPO-4845.jpg?env=A [/thumb] I mean, from the post-air strike photos it doesn't look like the hospital would be easily identifiable from the skies. Of course, before it was bombed it may have looked a lot different[/QUOTE] all those square holes in the tarp at the second floor look an awful like fighting positions, there's always a possibility that the rebels took over the hospital and forced the doctors to stay with them as way to protect themself from airstrikes.

Not to mention that little flag on the third floor is the Syrian Rebel Flag... :v: [t]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Flag_of_Syria_%281932-1958%3B_1961-1963%29.svg/200px-Flag_of_Syria_%281932-1958%3B_1961-1963%29.svg.png[/t] Not gonna even lie, the look of the building looks more to be a military outpost over anything else.

Didn't this happen already? I remember reading about an American airstrike of a hospital sometime ago. Their excuse was it had rebels in it, granted they were injured or sick but still..

[QUOTE=Passing;50221590]Didn't this happen already? I remember reading about an American airstrike of a hospital sometime ago. Their excuse was it had rebels in it, granted they were injured or sick but still..[/QUOTE] Separate incidents

[QUOTE=smithy285;50221466][thumb] https://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_2000w/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2016/04/28/Foreign/Images/2016-04-28T114601Z_01_SYR02_RTRIDSP_3_MIDEAST-CRISIS-SYRIA-ALEPPO-4845.jpg?env=A [/thumb] I mean, from the post-air strike photos it doesn't look like the hospital would be easily identifiable from the skies. Of course, before it was bombed it may have looked a lot different[/QUOTE] It's flying an FSA flag, that alone makes it look like a legit target [editline]29th April 2016[/editline] But I am confused about something though, maybe I'm just overcomplicating it [quote] Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)-backed al-Quds hospital[/quote] So it's an al-Quds hospital, not an MSF hospital, but there are three Al-Quds groups that I can find. Al-Quds brigades (Palestinian group, can't find any mention of them in Syrian civil war) Quds Force (Iranian special forces, Iran is friendly to Assad) And Liwa Al-Quds, a group allied to Syrian government. Again I might just be overthinking or whatever, fuck it the Syrian civil war is such a colossal clusterfuck

[QUOTE=Passing;50221590]Didn't this happen already? I remember reading about an American airstrike of a hospital sometime ago. Their excuse was it had rebels in it, granted they were injured or sick but still..[/QUOTE] Actually the excuse was that they were meant to bomb a Taliban Headquarters, but the AC-130's targeting system was malfunctioning. The crew was given a physical description of the target, but said description was vague and they fired on the wrong building. [url=http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/26-military-disciplines-afghanistan-hospital-attack-38739714]They're being disciplined now[/url], including Special Forces operatives and a 2 star General.

[QUOTE=Fire Kracker;50220474]I didn't even know there was a docteurs sans frontieres how can the syrian airforce backed by russia still be so inept at targeting things even the U.S. hardly ever hits randomly like that, especially not a direct attack on a hospital isn't that basically like, a warcrime[/QUOTE] The states hits wrong targets quite often, and then they keep it a secret. That's a warcrime no?

I'm sorry for saying this but this eerily one of the reasons I've switched from supporting the Rebels to Syrian Government. Many of these rebel groups are populated by seedy salafist who ruin the message of the revolution, personally a secular dictator is better than a sectarian one. The fact they garrisoned themselves in that hospital they knew fully well what they were doing and it worked in their favor in the short term.

[QUOTE=RG4ORDR;50230223]I'm sorry for saying this but this eerily one of the reasons I've switched from supporting the Rebels to Syrian Government. Many of these rebel groups are populated by seedy salafist who ruin the message of the revolution, personally a secular dictator is better than a sectarian one. The fact they garrisoned themselves in that hospital they knew fully well what they were doing and it worked in their favor in the short term.[/QUOTE] Where are you guys getting that revels had occupied the building? There is no evidence of that and no one has even claimed the air strike.

[QUOTE=ridinmybike;50228318]The states hits wrong targets quite often, and then they keep it a secret. That's a warcrime no?[/QUOTE] "keep it a secret"

Is sad how MSF keeps losing their hospitals for "mistakes". Watch as they excuse this incident again as friendly fire or as "but terrorists were using it as well!".

[QUOTE=BusterBluth;50230360]Where are you guys getting that revels had occupied the building? There is no evidence of that and no one has even claimed the air strike.[/QUOTE] yeah the rebel flags and the huge amount of combat positions in those sandbag bunkers sure hint at the 100% civilian and medical use of the facility.

[QUOTE=BusterBluth;50230360]Where are you guys getting that revels had occupied the building? There is no evidence of that and no one has even claimed the air strike.[/QUOTE] There is a huge rebel flag (?) flying off the building in the OP's photo. At least it looks more like a rebel flag than other flags I'm familiar with. It should have 3 stars instead of 2, I don't know any flag that is Green / White / Black with 2 stars. But the flag looks shredded and the angle is bad, so there probably is / was 3.

So it wasn't a doctors without borders hospital, it was just a building that happened to have doctors without borders personnel in it.

[QUOTE=carcarcargo;50231863]So it wasn't a doctors without borders hospital, it was just a building that happened to have doctors without borders personnel in it.[/QUOTE] [quote]hospital supported by Doctors Without Borders and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)[/quote] it's an officially supported hospital