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Russia Today accidentally exposes Moscow's war crimes in Syria; attempts to cover it up later

05:53 PM | 29 Jun, 2016
Russia Today accidentally exposes Moscow's war crimes in Syria; attempts to cover it up later
MOSCOW: Russian government-funded channel RT accidentally revealed the Russian army's use of incendiary cluster bombs on Syrian civilians last week, and later tried to edit the footage out of video of its larger broadcast of the Russian Defense Minister's visit to the country's Syrian airbase.

According to reports, Russian state channel RT accidentally broadcast footage of Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber aircraft mounted with incendiary bombs at the Russian airbase in Syria’s western Latakia province.

The English-language news station, which is funded by Moscow, broadcast footage of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visiting Hmeymim airbase last Saturday. The footage from Syria ostensibly shows Russian warplanes using incendiary bombs over Aleppo, in addition to a pilot standing next to a plane being loaded with munitions marked with identifying numbers.



The Kremlin has previously denied that its warplanes were carrying these bombs, which are restricted by an international convention.

According to experts from Human Rights Watch, and Conflict Intelligence Team, an open-source intelligence gatherer, the footage showed incendiary weapons mounted on a Su-34 ground attack aircraft - specifically RBK-500 ZAB-2.5SM bombs, according to the Telegraph.

They said that they believed the weapons contained a metal powder fuel known as thermite, the hottest burning man made substance in the world, which ignites while falling. Many witnesses of attacks have accordingly described the bombs as “fireballs.”

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Because of the flammable content, incendiary weapons cause excruciatingly painful burns and start fires that are hard to extinguish.

The Geneva Convention, which bans the use of incendiary weapons, defines them as “primarily designed to set fire to objects or to cause burn injury to persons, produced by a chemical reaction of a substance delivered on the target.” Human rights groups also discourage the use of such weapons in war, especially in civilian areas.

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The use of thermite has also been reported in civilian areas of Aleppo in northern Syria, where Russia has been conducting regular air strikes in support of President Bashar al-Assad in anticipation of a ground assault to retake the city from rebel groups.

A number of other videos, posted online by activists inside Syria, show similar attacks in the last month.

The use of air-dropped incendiary bombs on civilian populations would be a violation of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, of which Russia is a signatory.

Syria’s government meanwhile has ignored calls to join the protocol and has used incendiary weapons on multiple occasions since 2012.

The five-second segment in RT’s report showing the weapons was removed after the analysts published their findings.

Anton Vorontsev, a spokesman for Russia Today, confirmed that a certain part of the video had been cut, but said it had been done because it had shown a Russian fighter pilot, who, it was feared, could be exposed to security risks as a result.

"There was never any intention to censor the video,” he said. The full unedited version was later reinstated on the website.

CIT however accused Russia Today of “covering up war crimes”.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry also condemned Russian airstrikes in Syria in a statement it released on Wednesday, claiming that the Russians are attacking civilians like the regime does.

"It is unacceptable for the sake of humanity that the Russian Federation, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, uses all kinds of weapons and ammunition against civilians just like the regime," read the statement.

Dawood Rehman
Dawood Rehman

The writer is a member of the staff.

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Rupee loses ground against US dollar, Euro, Pound and other currencies; Check forex rates here

Pakistani rupee continue to witness further losses against US dollar in the open market on despite positive economic indicators and massive surge in Stock Market.

Dollar Rate in Pakistan Today

On Tuesday, the dollar was being quoted at 285.1 for selling and 288.15 for buying purposes for customers.

Euro price moves down by Rs2 to 312 for buying and 315 for selling. British Pound rate stands at 358.5 for buying, and 362 for selling after increase.

UAE Dirham AED stands at 78 whereas the Saudi Riyal also witnessed fall and new price stands at 76.25.

Today's currency exchange rates in Pakistan - 28 November 2022

Currency Symbol Buying Selling
US Dollar ‎USD 285.1 288.15
Euro EUR 312 315
UK Pound Sterling GBP 358.5 362
U.A.E Dirham AED 78 78.75
Saudi Riyal SAR 76.25 77
Australian Dollar AUD 186 187.5
Bahrain Dinar BHD 759 767
Canadian Dollar CAD 208 210
China Yuan CNY 39.93 40.33
Danish Krone DKK 41.88 42.28
Hong Kong Dollar HKD 36.24 36.59
Indian Rupee INR 3.39 3.5
Japanese Yen JPY 1.55 1.63
Kuwaiti Dinar KWD 916.38 925.38
Malaysian Ringgit MYR 60.38 60.98
New Zealand Dollar NZD 173.44 175.44
Norwegians Krone NOK 26.25 26.55
Omani Riyal OMR 741.26 749.26
Qatari Riyal ‎QAR 77.63 78.33
Singapore Dollar SGD 210 212
Swedish Korona SEK 26.93 27.23
Swiss Franc CHF 323.37 325.87
Thai Bhat THB 8 8.04

Gold price in Pakistan moves up amid positive global cues; Check today gold price here

KARACHI – Gold continues to move upward in local market amid surge in international rates.

Gold Rates in Pakistan Today - 28 November 2023

On Tuesday, the single tola of 24 Karat gold was available at Rs217,600, and the price for 10-gram gold saw increase of Rs943 to reach Rs186,557.

Globally, yellow metal went up by $12 to settle at $2,015 per ounce.

Last week, per tola gold price increased by Rs800 per tola, and it hovers around two month high.

Today Gold Rate in Pakistan

City Gold Silver
Lahore PKR 217,600 PKR 2,600
Karachi PKR 217,600 PKR 2,600
Islamabad PKR 217,600 PKR 2,600
Peshawar PKR 217,600 PKR 2,600
Quetta PKR 217,600 PKR 2,600
Sialkot PKR 217,600 PKR 2,600
Attock PKR 217,600 PKR 2,600
Gujranwala PKR 217,600 PKR 2,600
Jehlum PKR 217,600 PKR 2,600
Multan PKR 217,600 PKR 2,600
Bahawalpur PKR 217,600 PKR 2,600
Gujrat PKR 217,600 PKR 2,600
Nawabshah PKR 217,600 PKR 2,600
Chakwal PKR 217,600 PKR 2,600
Hyderabad PKR 217,600 PKR 2,600
Nowshehra PKR 217,600 PKR 2,600
Sargodha PKR 217,600 PKR 2,600
Faisalabad PKR 217,600 PKR 2,600
Mirpur PKR 217,600 PKR 2,600

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