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UN convoy targeted in Syrian province of Idlib
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May 15, 2012
Original URL: http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/UN_convoy_targeted_in_Syrian_province_of_Idlib



The United Nations has confirmed that its convoy in Syria was bombed
this afternoon while a human rights group reported a Syrian military
attack on civilians at a nearby funeral in the Syrian town of Khan
Sheikhoun in Idlib province today.

Just prior to the bombing of the UN convoy at around 1400 Eastern
European Time (UTC+2), the Syrian military is said to have attacked a
funeral procession and reportedly 20 people were killed in that
incident. The attack on civilians by the Syrian military was reported by
the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

According to Martin Nesirky, who is the UN spokesperson for
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, an IED bomb struck its four-vehicle
convoy. UN personnel had to be left behind after the blast but no UN
staff were injured. Later, the UN sent a patrol to pick up personnel
left behind. Three UN marked vehicles were damaged.

A video uploaded to the video sharing website You Tube reportedly shows
the UN convoy being targeted and bombed.

About a dozen civilians can be seen surrounding the lead car of the
convoy talking to UN observers. Some civilians can be heard screaming.
Several seconds later, a bomb explodes near what appears to be the lead
car of the convoy severely damaging the front end of the vehicle and
injuring several civilians. The lead car, still operating, begins to
leave the area. The two other vehicles follow. According to reports,
several civilians were injured and or killed in the attack. The UN has
reportedly stated that none of their observers were injured. 

"We went to observe and after a while shooting occurred"; "We are safe
with the Free Army and we are waiting for a [U.N.] group to pick us up,"
said UN observers to Reuters. According to reports, the UN is seeking
"to remove the observers from the area."

It is not yet known who was responsible for the attack on the UN convoy.

== Sources ==

* http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=42006&Cr=syria&Cr1=
* http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/north-lebanese-city-calm-after-three-days-of-street-clashes-over-syrias-crisis/2012/05/15/gIQAngIZQU_story.html
* http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/05/15/214339.html
* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzyUbGximW8
* https://twitter.com/#!/SaraFirth_RT/status/202435931096100864
* http://news.yahoo.com/u-n-car-damaged-syria-blast-monitors-unhurt-140507265.html)
|pub=Yahoo News
|date=May 15, 2012}}
* http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2012/may/15/syria-bashar-al-assad?CMP=NECNETTXT8187#block-28
* https://twitter.com/#!/NMSyria/status/202433864365375488

 <!--Sara Firth at RT News confirms the reports from this source.
https://twitter.com/#!/Sara Firth_RT/status/202435931096100864 -->