Red Cross and Red Crescent workers kidnapped by armed men in Idlib
Damascus ( AsiaNews ) - Six men
of the International Red Cross and a Red Crescent volunteer were abducted on
the road from Sarmin to Saraqeh in the northwest province of Idlib . The
kidnapping took place yesterday morning and was confirmed by the International
Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva.
According
to the international organization's spokesperson, the seven men , after
bringing supplies to hospitals in the area, were returning to Damascus when
they were stopped by a group of armed men . The
Red Cross has not released the nationality of the hostages , nor the identity
of the kidnappers. "We
do not know who they are ," the spokesperson said , calling for "the
immediate release of our seven colleagues." The
ICR also stated that the symbol of the Red Cross with which the vehicles are
marked "are not primarily a religious symbol" but for easy recognition of
the humanitarian convoys.
The
Red Cross, an expert organization in bringing aid to people in situations of
war tries to remain neutral in the conflict . Even
the Syrian volunteers of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (their Islamic partners
) bring aid and care to the two parties to the conflict .
The
area where the abduction took place is under the control of the rebels against
Assad , many of them radical Islamists linked to Al Qaeda.
According
to the Syrian state television , the kidnapping is the work of
"terrorists" , a term used to define all the opponents of the regime
. Abductions
of volunteers and journalists, as well as summary executions have become
increasingly common in the areas occupied by the rebels. The
Red Cross said that since the beginning of the Syrian conflict 22 members lost
their lives .
For
some time the UN Secretary General Ban Ki -moon and the Vatican have requested
that full freedom of movement be given to humanitarian organizations to carry
out their task .
Since
March 2011, when the uprising against Assad began, there more 100 thousand people
have been killed, mostly civilians. In
addition there are at least 8 million refugees and internally displaced persons.
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28/01/2023 14:36
