A/HRC/22/59 people”. He described the perpetrators as “Popular Committees” who are “the junior partner of the Shabbiha.” 7. In Damascus, throughout the reporting period, homes and shops belonging to suspected opposition supporters were systematically looted. Reports describing looting by Government forces and Shabbiha in August in Jedaydet Artouz. In October, a man who was shot in his home by Government forces, returned home from the hospital to find all his belongings had been looted. Also in Damascus a flammable powder was used to set homes alight. In Dahadeel, Damascus, in an operation on 19 October, an interviewee saw Government forces enter his neighbour’s house. He believes that his neighbour either did not have an ID or his name was on a list because “they took him away and broke up the furniture in the house, before setting it alight.” 8. In Kanshikam village, Idlib, in September, an interviewee’s village was shelled and raided shortly thereafter. His house was stormed by soldiers who “stole his valuables and destroyed everything else.” He was blindfolded and taken to the Political Security Branch in Kanshikan, accused of defecting. He had not defected and was later released. 9. In well-corroborated accounts, the army, Air Force Intelligence, Military Intelligence and Shabbiha entered Tafas in late November and burned multiple houses and shops. II. Anti-Government armed groups 10. There were no first-hand accounts of anti-Government armed groups appropriating property for their own use. Second hand accounts, reports from Governments, video and other materials provided evidence of looting by armed groups, though it was unclear whether the goods taken were in fact used for personal gain, or instead to support the opposition’s war effort. There were also allegations of theft and looting by individuals and groups not participating in the conflict, but who took advantage of the security vacuum created by it. 11. Destruction of property was alleged by a limited number of interviewees, including one reliable account in Dayr az Zawr. The interviewee described oil production facilities being damaged via attacks by anti-Government armed groups. Another witness blamed anti-Government fighters for damaging cultural objects in Aleppo during the fighting. 12. On January 14, the Permanent Mission of the Syrian Arab Republic transmitted a Note Verbale briefly describing looting by ‘armed gangs’ in Aleppo. However, the report provided no specific instances. The commission is aware of reports alleging such groups are responsible for plundering factories, schools, pharmacies and warehouses and selling them across borders. Attempts to reach sources inside Syria who could verify these acts were unsuccessful. Findings 13. Government forces and affiliated militia have perpetrated the war crime of pillaging. They have deliberately burned and destroyed property they believed belonged to opposition members or supporters thereby committing the crime of ‘destruction of property of an adversary’ as well as the international human rights law violation of the right to privacy and home. 14. While noting allegations, it was not possible to reach a finding with respect to similar acts by the anti-Government armed groups due primarily to difficulties in determining whether the appropriations were for personal gain. GE.13-10627 119