Russian presence cannot deter Opposition militias shelling on Tal-Rifaat

Casualties by the shelling of the Syrian opposition groups on the city of Tal-Rifaat indicated that despite the Russian presence in and around the city, doesn’t dissuade the Turkish-backed Islamist militias of targeting civilians in the area, stressing that there aren’t any military forces present within their areas.

Turkey backed “Euphrates Shield” groups stationed in the city of Marea had targeted Tal-Rifaat in northern Aleppo countryside by seven artillery shells, and mortars on Sunday evening, that caused the death of Sabri Mohammed Hamdo, 65 years, a resident of the city, while four civilians were injured.

Fikrat Rasheed Khorshid, a 46 years old woman, was hit by a mortar shrapnel in her foot, chest, and hands said: “We were visiting our neighbors when we suddenly heard the sound of shelling, and I don’t know what happened next, the shell hit the neighbor’s house, and killed him immediately, and we were hit by shrapnel,” asserting that the Russian presence in the area did not deter the armed groups of targeting them. 

Badrakhan Kloetah, a victim of the shelling, who was earlier displaced from the city of Afrin, said: “We were used to sitting in the streets in the afternoon, while children play around us, when I heard the sound of the shelling, I rushed towards the children to get them off the street, and a shrapnel hit my feet, there’re no military points in our neighborhood, why do they keep shelling us, the civilians? Those are mercenaries and they don’t belong to Islam,” Badrakhan added.

While Muharram Bakr tried to escape the shelling, indicating that he was coming back home from the market: “when I heard the sound of the shelling falling close to me, I tried to escape and hide at the entrance of a nearby house, a second shell landed near me, and I was hit by shrapnel in my leg, after that, I tried to crawl until people in the neighborhood helped me.”

Rashid Ebish, a nurse at the Afarin Hospital in the town of “Fafeen” northern Aleppo told North-Press: “In the beginning, we treated the wounded civilians, then we will check on them to make sure they are in a good condition to leave the hospital, except Fikrat, the woman who was hit by a shrapnel in her chest.