THE DIALOGUE PARTNER BASHAR AL ASSAD – British Doctor: Assad’s Snipers Target Babies in the Womb
A British doctor who recently returned from five weeks volunteering in Syrian hospitals has told British media that he witnessed “horrific” war crimes, including snipers who targeted babies in the womb. Dr. David Nott said the pattern of injuries that he and other doctors saw led to the conclusion that fighters were using civilians for target practice.
“From the first patients that came in in the morning, you could almost tell what you would see for the rest of the day. It was a game,” he told The Times.
“One day it would be shots to the groin. The next, it would only be the left chest. The day after, we would see no chest wounds; they were all neck [wounds],” he explained.
On one day, he saw heavily pregnant women whose babies had been shot to death in the womb, he said. “The women were all shot through the uterus, so that must have been where they were aiming for. I can’t even begin to tell you how awful it was,” he said. There were rumors that the injuries were inflicted by hired fighters working for Syrian President Bashar Assad, he said. “It’s more horrific than any other war zone I’ve worked in. Most civilians are caught in crossfire, they are never really caught in direct fire. It is direct fire this time,” Dr. Nott told the BBC. The situation in the country is “hell beyond hell,” he added.