I had a blazing argument about this today. Because they do not mirror the BBC version of events it is guilty of being state-run propaganda (unlike the BBC - sic)
MSF admits withholding Syria hospital coordinates from Damascus & Moscow
Medecins
Sans Frontieres (MSF) does not provide GPS coordinates of health
facilities it supports in Syria to either Damascus or Moscow over
fears of “deliberate” attacks, the medical charity said, blaming
a recent strike on “probably” Syrian or Russian forces.
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MSF International
PHOTOS: Before & after airstrikes: MSF-supported hospital in #Idlib #Syria. At least 25 people killed. Unacceptable
At
least 25 people were killed, including nine medical personnel and 16
patients, when airstrikes destroyed a hospital supported by MSF. Ten
others were wounded when four missiles reportedly struck the hospital
initially at around 9:00am local time Monday, according to accounts
provided by medical staff on site. Forty minutes later, after
rescuers arrived, the hospital was allegedly bombed again.
According
to MSF, the coordinates had not been shared with the authorities or
relevant Russian representatives because of safety concerns that were
voiced by doctors operating in Syria.
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"Today, #Syria is a kill box." @JoanneLiu_MSF International President
“The
staff of the hospital [and] the director of the hospital didn't know
if they would be better protected if they give the GPS or
not,” Defourny
said.
The
operations director also noted, citing a deadly US airstrike in
October on an MSF hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, that even offering
GPS location would not serve as a safety guarantee. But now, after
the latest strikes, the charity seeks to remedy the situation and
expects its affiliated medical staffers to share their coordinates
with the Syrian government officials.
The
NGO seeks an independent investigation into the strikes, but has
already accused the Russian air force and the Syrian Army
of “probably” hitting
the Maaret al-Numan hospital, yet at the same time acknowledging that
it has no evidence into their assertion.
“We
say a probability because we don’t have more facts than the
accounts from our staff,” said
Dr. Joanne Liu, MSF’s international president.
The
Pentagon has also failed to provide any additional intelligence to
back the claims of Russia and Damascus involvement in the deadly
attack, with Operation Inherent Resolve spokesperson Colonel Steven
Warren admitting it was all “unclear.”
"Unclear
to us whether it was the Russian aircraft, Syrian aircraft or a
Russian missile or a Syrian missile, that part at this point is a
little bit unclear to us,” Warren
said on Wednesday.
“It
is important to note that there were no coalition strikes in that
area and in fact there have been no coalition strikes in Aleppo this
year,” he
added, contradicting the information shared by the Russian defense
ministry last week.
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RT
MORE US planes entered Syrian airspace from Turkey, flew to Aleppo & bombed targets there http://on.rt.com/7499
While
the Syrian ambassador said Damascus has “intelligence
information” that
showed US warplanes had struck the hospital, the Russian presidential
spokesman met allegations that the Russian Air Force delivered the
strike with a flat denial, urging detractors to provide proof of
the “empty” and “unfounded”accusations.
“We
vehemently reject such allegations, particularly because those making
those statements have always proven to be unable to deliver any proof
of their unfounded accusations,” Kremlin
spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
MSF
says that attacks against civilian infrastructure and hospitals
became “routine”,
saying that 101 shelling attacks have hit some 70 MSF-supported
facilities over the last 13 months in Syria. At the same time, the
MSF noted that it never received official permission from Damascus to
carry out work in Syria and operates mainly in areas held by
anti-government forces.
The
NGO president also noted the dire situation on the Turkish border,
where Ankara continues its cross-border shelling of the Syrian Kurds
gaining more ground.
“100,000
people are caught in northern Syria, near Azaz. They’re trying to
escape the escalating air strikes and ground combat,” Liu
said.
“They
are trapped between the Turkish border and a frontline.”
The Guardian has twisted this story to this -
The Guardian has twisted this story to this -
MSFstops sharing Syria hospital locations after 'deliberate' attacks
Assad’s adviser: Once Syria & Russia succeed vs terrorists, Turkey & S. Arabia are going crazy
RT
crosses live to Dr. Bouthaina Shaaban, political adviser to the
President of Syria, to discuss the situation in the country, and
relations with the West
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