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UN chief launches probe into incident involving relief operation in Syria

Xinhua, October 22, 2016 Adjust font size:

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has established an internal and independent United Nations Headquarters Board of Inquiry into the incident that involved a UN-Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) relief operation to Urum al-Kubra (Big Orem), Syria, on Sept. 19, a UN spokesman said here Friday.

"The Board will be led by Lieutenant General Mr. Abhijit Guha and begin its work the week of 24 October 2016," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here. "It is to ascertain the facts of the incident and report to the secretary-general upon the completion of its work."

The secretary-general will review the report and decide what further steps to take, the spokesman said. "He urges all parties concerned to extend their full cooperation to the Board."

At least 18 people, including the head of the SARC in Urum al-Kubra, were killed, the United Nations said late last month, adding that the warehouse where supplies were being unloaded, as well as a nearby medical clinic, were also severely damaged.

Also on Friday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) informed that medical evacuations of sick and injured people could not begin Friday morning in eastern Aleppo as planned, because the necessary conditions were not in place.

"The UN and humanitarian partners are present in Aleppo and ready to carry out medical evacuations as soon as conditions allow. We reiterate that the UN is not involved in any way in any proposed evacuation of other civilians from eastern Aleppo," Dujarric said.

Meanwhile, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) condemned the killing of four Palestine refugees on Tuesday night as they attempted to leave the Khan Eshieh Palestine refugee camp, south of the Syrian capital of Damascus, he added. Enditem