The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

About 700 civilian casualties were killed by the International Coalition’s intensified shelling on Al-Raqqah province and the Syrian Observatory calls it to respect the international humanitarian law

With every new day, Al-Raqqah loses more of its citizens and residents, those who have not had a choice of leaving the city, but they had to choose between two similar consequences, either death by the “Islamic State” organization if they fail to reach the territory of the “Euphrates Wrath” Operation Forces supported by the International Alliance, or the death by the International Coalition and its warplanes if they stay in the “Islamic State” organization’s controlled areas, eventually, the people have become between the anvil and the hammer, which badly hurt the people who live in Al-Raqqah province.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored the developments of the human conditions and losses since the beginning of the strikes escalation by the International Coalition warplanes on Al-Raqqah province, on the 1st of March 2017, where the Syrian Observatory has documented since that date until the 24th of June 2017 the death of 686 civilians; all of whom were killed by the raids of the International Coalition on Al-Raqqah city, Al-Tabaqa city, al-Mansoura, Hunaida, Qdiran, al-Hamrat, al-Ekirshi, the farms of the northern countryside of Al-Raqqah, and other villages, towns and areas were under the control of the “Islamic State” organization before the Syria Democratic Forces and the forces of the “Euphrates Wrath” Operation supported by the International alliance were able to reach to the eastern and western neighborhoods of Al-Raqqah city.

Among the civilian casualties there are 246 children and women, they are 130 children under the age of eighteen and 116 woman over the age of eighteen, they were killed in the same airstrikes by to the International Coalition on the same areas, these strikes have also caused the destruction of infrastructure, public facilities and tens of houses, they have also injured hundreds of other people of varying severity, some of whom have been permanently disabled and have had their limbs amputated.

The airstrikes have also killed 520 members at least of the “Islamic State” organization of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities, including several field leaders and other leaders and field commanders of non-Syrian nationalities, and the International Coalition’s airstrikes have injured tens of members and some of them were critically injured.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has observed in the past months a significant escalation by the International Coalition in terms of the shelling and bombing, which increased the number of killed civilians, and at the same time the International Coalition stated that it was helping Syrian people to get rid of oppressors, but instead we find it here escalates the killing of civilians, committing further massacres against the Syrian citizens, the citizens who fall victims of inaccurate coordination from the informants of the Coalition and the bombing of its warplanes.

We in the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights call the International Coalition to respect the international humanitarian law, and to re-engage with its clients and collaborators, who have been giving information that killed hundreds of civilians who had no guilt, and their stay in the “Islamic State” organization’s controlled areas was taken as an excuse to kill them.

The presence of any member of the “Islamic State” organization or of “jihadi groups” in a civilian area does not justify in any way bombarding these areas, because the Syrian people have enough of death, the Syrian people do not need to targeted by more warplanes, helicopters and drones, millions of them are already killed, wounded and displaced as a result of the bombing that targeted their areas, while the international community continues its horrifying silence towards the sufferings of the Syrian people and their hopes to have a country of justice, equality, democracy and freedom, and to bring their murderers to courts so they get their punishment.