A/HRC/28/69 239. In Aleppo governorate, ISIS has engaged in intensive hostilities against non-State armed groups and Kurdish armed forces. ISIS’ ground assault on Ayn al-Arab (Kobane), which started on 15 September was enabled through their capacity to direct protracted indiscriminate shelling toward the town and its inhabitants. On 22 September, as ISIS was advancing, fighters shelled a bakery in the village of Zarik, killing four civilian employees. The bakery served the entire western region of Ayn al-Arab (Kobane) and was a vital source of sustenance for the surrounding area. 240. Since taking control of territory in northern and eastern Syria, ISIS has occupied civilian buildings, including schools and hospitals as military bases. Since the onset of International Coalition strikes, ISIS fighters have moved their positions into residential areas, endangering civilians. In October, residents of Minbeij described how ISIS occupied buildings in densely populated areas as a deliberate tactic. A similar trend was observed in Al Bab in November 2014, putting the civilian population at risk of the effects of attacks against ISIS targets. 241. In Dayr az Zawr, ISIS adopted similar tactics, occupying civilian buildings in AlAshara in September 2014. In one instance, a civilian whose relatives were killed in a coalition airstrike was forced to flee because he complained to ISIS about their presence near his home. In Al-Mayadin, ISIS fighters appropriated and moved into civilian homes in November 2014, displacing their residents and endangering the civilian population in the vicinity. 242. By occupying civilian homes, ISIS has endangered civilians in violation of their obligations under customary international humanitarian law. ISIS’ assault on Ayn al-Arab (Kobane) was conducted in an indiscriminate manner, violating international humanitarian law and with the apparent intent to cause considerable harm to the Kurdish population. 3. Undetermined perpetrator 243. On Friday, 15 August 2014, a car bomb was detonated outside the Taqwa Mosque in Namar (Dara’a). The explosion took place while worshippers were leaving the mosque. According to victim testimony, the car was parked less than 20 metres from the mosque and the bombing was timed to cause maximum damage. Media reports and witness accounts suggest that between 14 and 22 people were killed in the attack, including several children. Also killed in the bombing were several FSA fighters, including at least one defector. It is possible that he was the target of the attack. According to an account, FSA-affiliated armed groups in the area apprehended persons from a Shi’a militant group in connection with the attack. Those interviewed indicated that people apprehended at the scene stated that they had planted the bomb there at the behest of the Government. Further information collected indicates that Government forces, in particular the General Security Directorate, may have been involved in commissioning similar VBIEDs on other occasions. No party has claimed responsibility for this attack. Other VBIEDs have been detonated in civilian areas, causing considerable casualties. In areas with continuous and protracted hostilities between Government forces and non-State armed groups, it is not possible to verify the perpetrator of certain attacks. I. Specifically protected persons and objects 1. Government forces 244. Government forces have continued to target medical facilities in the course of their military operations against armed groups. The remaining functioning hospitals and medical facilities in non-State armed group-controlled areas do not mark their buildings with the Red Cross or Red Crescent emblem to avoid being targeted by Government forces. 57