U.N. official condemns killing of aid worker in Turkish-controlled north Syrian town

The U.N.deputy regional humanitarian coordinator for Syria on Wednesday condemned the killing of an aid worker in an explosion in the north Syria’s Turkish-controlled town of al-Bab.

The humanitarian worker, involved in a U.N.-funded health project in the region, was killed when an improvised explosive device went off in a market area in the middle of al-Bab on Tuesday, Mark Cutts said.

"This was the latest in a series of horrific car bombs and other improvised explosive devices that have killed dozens of civilians and injured many more in northern Syrian in recent months,’’ Cutts said in an official statement released on the U.N.’s ReliefWeb website.

Turkey gained control of parts of northern Syria following a military operation launched in Oct. 2019 to target Kurdish forces Ankara sees as a threat due to their links to an insurgency on Turkish soil. 

The Turkish-controlled Syrian National Army (SNA), a collection of Islamist factions, is accused of bombings and grave human right violations in the region.

At least 14 humanitarian workers have been killed in northwest Syria in the last 14 months as a result of air strikes, shelling, car-bombs and other improvised explosive devices, the U.N. official said, noting that the figures make the region among the worst in the world for humanitarian workers.

Cutts called on all parties involved in the conflict in the region as well as the international community to do more to ensure the protection of all civilians in the war-torn country in accordance with international law. 

“I also call on them to do more to ensure the safety and welfare of all our humanitarian colleagues, on both sides of the front-lines in Syria, so that they can continue their critical, life-saving work,’’ the U.N. official wrote.

A U.N. commission report issued in September said Turkey was responsible for all individuals present in the territories it controls, and needs to “ensure public order and safety, and to afford special protection to women and children.’’

“Turkey remains bound by applicable human rights treaty obligations vis-à-vis all individuals present in such territories,” the report said.