World News in Brief: Civilian killings in Afghanistan, Kazakhstan air crash, more Syrian refugees return home

The Mission has called for an investigation to “ensure accountability, prevent recurrence and uphold victims' rights”, noting that international law obliges military forces to take necessary precautions to prevent civilian harm, including distinguishing between civilians and combatants in operations.

The UN children’s agency, UNICEF, also expressed concern over reports that at least 20 children were among those killed in the attack.

“Our sincere condolences to those who have lost loved ones. Children are not and must never be a target,” Sanjay Wijesekera, UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia said.

Kazakhstan air crash: UN condolences

According to media reports, 38 people were killed in the Azerbaijan Airlines flight from Baku to Grozny that crashed in western Kazakhstan on Wednesday.

The spokesperson of the UN Secretary-General António Guterres released a statement late on Wednesday, expressing his sadness at the news, and his condolences to the families of those killed, who included citizens of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and Russia.

The International Civil Aviation Authority, the UN agency for global airspace cooperation, expressed sadness at the loss of life in a social media post, as did UNICEF.

Syria: Refugee returns continue

According to media reports, Hayat-Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the de facto authorities in Syria have named Anas Khattab as head of the intelligence services. Mr. Khattab is currently subject to UN sanctions, as a result of his association with Al Qaida.

HTS is also sanctioned by the UN, following a 2015 resolution which calls on Member States to “prevent and suppress terrorist acts committed specifically by” HTS’s predecessor, the Al-Nusra Front”.

The devastating, long-running civil war in Syria caused millions to flee the country: since the fall of Bashar al-Assad on 8 December, thousands of refugees have begun to return, Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, has reported that, whilst food is in short supply in some areas of the country, bread production and distribution have generally normalized.

The World Food Programme (WFP) noted on Thursday that it has more access routes to areas across the country that were inaccessible under the Assad regime, access that will contribute to saving the lives of millions of Syrians.