Syrian Hospitals Hit as Battlefield Grows More Chaotic - nytimes

BEIRUT, Lebanon — The prospect of a wider war loomed over an increasingly chaotic battlefield in northern  Syria  on Monday, as fast-moving clashes pitted United States allies against one another and tensions grew between two major powers, Russia and Turkey.

Taking advantage of fierce Russian airstrikes, Kurdish-led forces advanced into shrinking rebel territory in the northern part of Aleppo Province, infuriating the insurgents and their principal backer, Turkey, which threatened “a severe response” if the Kurds moved farther.

The situation has pitted a dizzying array of warring parties against one another, illustrating how the enemy of my enemy is, as often as not, my enemy. Tensions have never been higher between Kurds and Syrian Arab rebels, who now accuse the Kurds of opportunistically attacking them in league with Russia and the Syrian government to advance their goal of seizing territory along the border with Turkey.

Those clashes are fueling a risky escalation of tensions, especially between Turkey and Russia. And they are pitting two American-backed groups against each other, since both the Kurds and many rebel groups in Aleppo receive American support. 

As always, caught in the middle are civilians, with four hospitals bombed in a single day on Monday and Turkey and the Syrian insurgents accusing Russia of targeting them deliberately to drive them out of the area. Two of the hospitals were supported by Unicef, including a pediatric and maternity hospital, and at least 50 people were killed in all of the attacks, including children, said Farhan Haq, a United Nations spokesman.

Physicians for Human Rights, an organization that has been trackingattacks on health care workers and infrastructure amid the Syrian conflict, says that 697 health care workers have been killed in 336 attacks on medical sites, the vast majority carried out by the Syrian government and its allies.

Two of the hospitals hit on Monday were in Azaz, a major prize in the fierce battles unfolding in Aleppo Province. One was struck by what residents and the Turkish government said was a ballistic missile. A school housing displaced people was also hit, residents said.- Read More at NYT

Syrian Hospitals Hit as Battlefield Grows More Chaotic

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