Russia Pushes for Impartial Probe into Damascus Killings

Seeks Probes of Daraya Killings and Funeral Bombing

With Western nations railing about the former and ignoring the later, the Russian Foreign Ministry today called for the UN to conduct a “impartial investigation” into both the weekend killings in Daraya and the funeral bombing yesterday in Damascus.

“Moscow decisively condemns these barbaric acts of violence,” the statement insisted, adding that they believe such a probe would be a good challenge for the newly opened UN office in Damascus.

Rebels have put the death toll in Daraya at ever-rising levels since Sunday night, starting with “at least 371” and then claiming it could have been 600 or even more in later estimates. With no independent probe, its impossible to say.

Likewise, the rebels have downplayed the car bombing against the funeral procession of two pro-Assad activists yesterday in Damascus, claiming that they figure the regime probably did it themselves for some inscrutable reason.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.