A strong explosion rocked a munitions depot located at a military position belonging to an armed opposition faction, Failaq al Sham, which is part of the ‘National Front for Liberation’, on the night of Wednesday June 1, 2022. The munitions depot is located in a hilly region north of Babsqa village in the northern suburbs of Idlib near the Turkish-Syrian borders. The initial explosion was followed by several others that were felt across the region, with the blasts causing missiles and shells in the depot to explode, propelling them for long distances in the area.
SNHR notes that the post is situated only 100 meters from dozens of camps for IDPs from different parts of the country, including: Al Bir Camp, Ebad al Rahman Camp, Al Ansar Camp, Salah al Din Camp, and Babsq Camp.
The remnants of the falling shells mainly hit the area around the Babsqa area, with SNHR documenting the deaths of two people – a 12-year-old girl with special needs who was killed when one of the shells fell on her family’s home in Al Bir Camp close to the military post, and one of Failaq al Sham personnel. The explosions caused by the blast and flying shrapnel also severely damaged dozens of IDPs’ tents.
The region is under the joint control of the armed opposition factions and Hay’at Tahrir al Sham.
The fact that the post was built before the camps were erected and spread around it doesn’t absolve the controlling forces of their responsibility regarding the urgent need to move the munitions depot away from an area crowded with vulnerable IDPs. The depot and remaining armaments must be urgently moved to another location and the victims compensated, while the individuals responsible for the incident must be held accountable.
