MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The United Nations cannot verify the data on the massacre perpetrated by the Islamic State jihadist group militants in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor region since the UN has no access to the area, the assistant to the director of the UN office in Geneva information service told Sputnik on Monday.
Local residents in Syria’s besieged village of Deir ez-Zor province told Sputnik Saturday that 280 people, including women, children and the elderly, were killed for cooperating with the Syrian army.
"We have checked the information with the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria and were told that the UN has no access to Dier ezour [Deir ez-Zor]. Therefore we have no way of verifying the information," Ana Beauclair said.
Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad fighting against opposition factions and extremist groups such as the Islamic State, which is outlawed in Russia and many other states.
