US air strike slaughters over 40 civilians in Syria
By
Jordan Shilton
23 August 2017
An air strike launched by the United States on the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa in northeastern Syria Monday claimed the lives of 42 civilians, 19 of whom were children. It is the bloodiest incident thus far in a ramped-up series of strikes over the past eight days that have killed at least 167 civilians, including 59 children.
The air assault on the Syrian city is the latest stage in a three-month siege waged by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), predominantly made up of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militias, which are being supported by significant numbers of US ground troops. The offensive to force ISIS from its main stronghold has already driven thousands of civilians from their homes, killed hundreds more, and left at least 25,000 stranded with little food and water in Raqqa.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the bombing came a day after numerous civilian casualties were reported Sunday during air attacks. While the SDF claims to have 60 percent of the city under its control, observers speaking to the Financial Times noted that ISIS fighters continue to operate and launch attacks in many parts of the city claimed by the SDF.
The indiscriminate and ruthless assault on the city by the US-led coalition is in line with the vicious assault conducted by Washington and its Iraqi-backed forces earlier this year to recapture the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.
In the course of nine months of military operations, an estimated 40,000 civilians lost their lives and an additional one million Iraqis were driven from their homes. These war crimes have been made possible by President Donald Trump’s decision to ease restrictions on engaging in combat,…