The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

About 1200 persons were killed in al-Raqqa city during about 8 weeks of shelling of the international coalition within the ongoing Grand Battle of al-Raqqa

The international coalition continues its intensive and renewed bombardment on the neighborhoods of al-Raqqa city, which is still controlled by the “Islamic State” organization. This escalation comes as the Grand Battle of al-Raqqa is still ongoing, in which the Syria Democratic Forces supported by the US Special Forces and the International Coalition’s warplanes, aimed at expelling the “Islamic State” organization out of the city, which is the main stronghold and the capital of the organization in Syria, and the shelling caused more causalities, rising to at least 413, including an activist in the Syrian Observatory, the number of Syrian civilians who were killed and documented by the Syrian Observatory in the city of Al-Raqqa and its countryside since the 5th of June 2017 until the 29th of July. The martyrs are 397 civilians, including at least 76 children below the age of 18, and 53 women over the age of 18, who were killed in the city of al-Raqqa, in addition to 16 civilians, including 3 children and 4 women, who were killed in raids on the village of Zor al-Shamar and another area at the southern banks of the Euphrates River in the eastern countryside of al-Raqqa. The airstrikes also injured hundreds of civilians with different severity, and some of them had their limps amputated and permanent disabilities, while some others are in serious conditions, which may increase the death toll, and the intensive shelling, which targeted the city of al-Raqqa, its vicinity and its outskirts, and they also destroyed tens of houses and service utilities in the city.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also monitored that the airstrikes of the international coalition’s warplanes and the intensive shelling on the city of Al-Raqqa and its outskirts, and the military operations in the city which included shelling, bombardment, and clashes with the “Euphrates Wrath” Operation Forces, which  are composed of the Syria Democratic forces and Syrian Elite Forces and the US Special Forces backed by the Coalition’s warplanes, since the beginning of the grand battle of al-Raqqa until today the 24th of 2017 July 24, have killed at least 536 members of the “Islamic State” organization, including local leaders and group leaders, and there is confirmed information  about other members got killed and tens of them were also injured.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights in the same period documented the death of 241 fighters of “Euphrates Wrath” Operation Forces, including 2 fighters of the Syrian Elite and 4 fighters of American, Georgian and British nationalities, while the rest are fighters of the Syria Democratic Forces, whose the YPG is its main pillar, and fighters of Manbij Military Council, who were killed in bombardments and bombings and during clashes with the “Islamic State” organization in the city of al-Raqqa and the southern banks of the Euphrates River.

The death toll of the civilians and fighters of the SDF and members of the “Islamic State” organization is expected to increase because of the presence of hundreds of injured persons; some of them are still in serious conditions, while others suffered severe injuries and permanent disabilities.