Muslim group calls for end to attacks on Syria’s Daraa

By Ahmed Yusuf

DOHA (AA) - The International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) demanded on Saturday an end to crimes against Syrians in Daraa province.

The Secretary-General of the IUMS, Ali al-Qaradaghi, condemned the "brutal attacks against and around Daraa, where photographs and reports show that these crimes are very serious, amounting to war crimes against humanity".

The Doha-based group appealed to charity organizations to help the victims of war and assist Jordan in carrying out humanitarian work.

The statement pointed out that the number of people displaced in the conflict have exceeded 150,000.

In the last several days, Daraa has been the target of intense air and ground attacks by the Bashar al-Assad regime and its allies, who have advanced deep into Daraa’s eastern countryside, capturing the towns of Busra al-Harir and Nahtah.

At least 97 civilians have been killed and thousands displaced since the regime offensive began two weeks ago.

Following peace talks held last year in Kazakh capital Astana, Daraa was designated a “de-escalation zone” in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.

Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.