Homs (Syria) (AFP) – Relatives and officials gathered this Friday in the city of Homs in central Syria for the first funeral of the hundreds killed in a drone strike on a military academy the previous day.
First change: October 7, 2023 – 1:08 a.m. Last change: October 7, 2023 – 1:06 a.m
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The attack occurred at the end of an officer promotion ceremony. According to state media, 89 people died – including 31 women and five children – and 277 were injured, both soldiers and family members who took part in the event.
This Friday, dozens of relatives and friends of the victims gathered in front of the military hospital in Homs, from where the victims’ remains were transported to the cemetery, an AFP correspondent confirmed.
A woman dressed in black mourned her son. “Don’t go, love!” he screamed.
Map showing the location of the military academy in the city of Homs in Syria that was attacked with drones © Nalini Lepetit-Chella, Sophie Ramis, Sylvie Husson / AFP
In videos posted on social networks, victims and several injured people can be seen lying on the ground and several injured people asking for help amid the chaos and gunfire in the background during the attack.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH), a UK-based NGO that has a network of observers on the ground, reported a higher toll than the authorities: 123 dead, including 54 civilians, and at least 150 wounded.
Grief
Syrian Defense Minister Ali Mahmoud Abbas attended the first funeral, which was attended by about 30 people.
The authorities declared three days of national mourning in the country.
Syrian soldiers carry the coffins of the victims of the drone attack on a military academy on October 6, 2023 in Homs © Louai Beshara / AFP
No group has currently claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Syrian army on Thursday blamed “armed terrorist organizations” and said the attack was carried out “with drones loaded with explosives” and vowed to “respond vigorously.”
Syrian forces bombed the country’s last rebel stronghold in the northwest.
The OSDH reported that 24 civilians had died in rebel-held areas in the past 24 hours.
According to the same source, nine civilians, including five minors, were killed in bombardments with several rocket launchers in Idlib province in the evening, according to the same source.
Russia has carried out at least five bombing raids in the region, he added.
Turkey also attacked the northeast of the country controlled by Kurdish forces for the second day in a row on Friday.
These new attacks bring the number of deaths caused by the bombings to 15, said Kurdish officials, who initially reported 16 dead.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed the issue with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, telling him that Ankara would continue the airstrikes “with determination.”
Turkey has stepped up cross-border air operations against Kurdish targets in northeastern Syria and northern Iraq in retaliation for a bomb attack in Ankara that injured two police officers last Sunday.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres expressed concern about the escalation in Syria and United Nations special envoy to that country Geir Pedersen called for an “immediate de-escalation” of violence.
The war in Syria, which erupted in 2011 following harsh government repression against the wave of protests, claimed nearly half a million lives and left the country fragmented.
© 2023 AFP