U.N. suspends all aid convoys in Syria following attack on humanitarian workers

A Syrian family receives aid in Talbisseh.
(Image credit: MAHMOUD TAHA/AFP/Getty Images)

The United Nations will suspend all aid convoys to Syria after war planes struck aid trucks in the Urm al-Kubra region, near Aleppo, on Monday, killing at least 12. Airstrikes also hit a warehouse run by the Syrian Red Crescent.

"Yesterday's attack was a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and it is unacceptable. Failing to protect humanitarian workers and structures might have serious repercussions on humanitarian work in the country," said ICRC President Peter Maurer. U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O'Brien called the attack a likely war crime if an investigation reveals the humanitarian workers were intentionally targeted.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.