A/HRC/39/65 destruction.7 Special care must be taken to avoid causing damage to historic monuments, unless they are military objectives. 20. The Turkish air force launched attacks on 22 February, at approximately 8.30 p.m., against a convoy of buses, microbuses and cars carrying hundreds of demonstrators through Jabal al-Alham, near Basuta village. The convoy was struck at three separate locations, leading to the death of at least one driver and the injury of 12 other people. A statement issued by Turkish forces on 23 February claimed a convoy carrying terrorists, weapons and ammunition had been struck. Witnesses detailed how the convoy had sought to bring food and medical supplies to Afrin; upon reviewing a substantial body of evidence, the Commission notes that the convoy comprised activists, nurses and a doctor, as well as demonstrators, including women and children. Despite a review of drone footage released by the Turkish Ministry of Defence, 8 the presence of fighters, weapons or ammunition could not be verified. 21. Towards the end of the military campaign, heightened aerial and ground bombardments over Afrin city drove thousands of civilians to flee. On 15 March, at approximately 8 p.m., dozens of vehicles queued up to leave Afrin city when the Turkish air force struck a checkpoint close to Turandah village, killing at least five individuals, including an elderly woman, a man in his mid-30s and a boy. 22. Throughout the next day, on 16 March, the Turkish air force and affiliated FSA units continued to escalate bombardments over Afrin city. At approximately 10.30 a.m., witnesses observed fighter jets circling above Al-Mahmoudiyah neighbourhood, and described an attack launched opposite a cattle market, where dozens of civilians had queued in vehicles, waiting to leave the city. The strike killed at least 20 civilians, including women, children and elderly persons, and injured at least 30 others. Witnesses buried some victims the following day, including at least seven women and one infant, emphasizing however that, owing to the ensuing chaos, funerary rites could not be observed. 23. Also on 16 March, at approximately 2.30 p.m., at least two attacks struck the main hospital in Afrin city.9 The attacks killed at least nine civilians, including three women, and injured 20 others. No warnings were issued prior to the attacks. According to witnesses, there were no military installations within or near the hospital. 24. Just prior to the launch of Operation Olive Branch, Kurdish forces committed the war crime of launching an indiscriminate attack on 18 January, in addition to violations of the right to life, liberty and security of person (see para. 17 above). In conducting airstrikes beginning on 20 January, the Turkish air force may have failed to take all feasible precautions prior to launching certain attacks, in violation of international humanitarian law. 25. Once the capture of Afrin district was declared, general administration underwent significant changes at both the district and village levels. Residents described life under new authorities, pointing out the creation of new governance structures, with Turkish forces and affiliated armed groups replacing local self-administration with new local councils. New judges were also appointed; witnesses noted that the judges received salaries in Turkish liras paid by Turkey. In late May, a civilian police apparatus was introduced consisting mainly of former armed group members. Residents consistently reported their uncertainty about who was in charge of security and public order, and that the presence of armed groups led to numerous violations. 26. Residents reported patterns of arrests, beatings and kidnappings by FSA-affiliated armed groups that, beginning with their takeover of certain areas, became notorious for their arbitrary arrests and detention. Some also stated that they had been arrested by FSA factions and kept incommunicado for extended periods of time, with others also claiming that they had been interrogated by Turkish officials. The Commission received accounts according to which, in the villages of Maidanu and Sotio, 29 young men had been arrested 7 8 9 6 See “More civilians killed due to Turkish aggression on Afrin”, Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), 28 January 2018. Available at www.youtube.com/watch?v=yr1ym_gdS3M. See satellite imagery of the damage caused to the hospital on the website of the Commission of Inquiry at www.ohchr.org/en/hrbodies/hrc/iicisyria/pages/independentinternationalcommission.aspx.