The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

About 600 civilians among more than 1600 people killed in Al-Raqqah city since the start of the grand battle of Al-Raqqah

The death toll keeps rising day after day with the continuation of the grand battle of Al-Raqqah, where the Syria Democratic Forces and the US Special Forces are seeking to take control of the city, of which the “Islamic State” organization has lost more than half of its area since the start of the grand battle of Al-Raqqah on the 6th of June 2017, where it rose to 1610 people, the number of people killed and documented by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights snice the start of the grand battle of Al-Raqqah, they are 595 civilians at least including them an activist from the SOHR as well as 136 children, 84 women in al-Raqqa city, who were killed and documented by the SOHR in al-Raqqa city and its countryside since the launch of the Grand Battle of al-Raqqa on the 5th of June 2017 until today the 10th of August 2017. The casualties are 579 civilians including at least 133 children below the age of eighteen and 80 women over the age of eighteen, who were killed in al-Raqqa city, as well as 16 civilians including 3 children and 4 women who were killed in raids on Zor Shamar village and another area at the southern banks of the Euphrates River in al-Raqqa eastern countryside. The aerial bombardment also caused injury of hundreds of civilians with varying degrees of severity, while some of them have amputated limbs and permanent disabilities, and some of them still in serious conditions and the death toll are suggested to increase. Scores of houses, utilities were also destroyed in the city due to the indiscriminate bombardment that targeted al-Raqqa city and its vicinity and outskirts, while more civilian casualties were reported but the SOHR couldn’t document them.

The SOHR also documented that the international coalition airstrikes and the heavy bombardment on al-Raqqa city and its outskirts along with the military offensives in the city that included shelling,  bombings and clashes with the “Euphrates Wrath” Operations Forces, which is composed of the Syria Democratic Forces, the Syrian Elite Forces, and the US Special Forces backed by the International Coalition’s warplanes caused – since the launching of the battle until today the 10th of August – the death of at least 702 members of the “Islamic State” organization including two local  figures and commanders of groups, amid confirmed information about death of other members, in addition to injuring tens of them with varying degrees of severity.

Also, the SOHR documented in the same period the death of 313 fighters of the “Euphrates Wrath” including two fighters from the Syrian Elites Forces, 4 fighters holding US, Georgian and British nationalities, while the rest are from the Syria Democratic Forces, whose main pillar is the YPG, and fighters of Manbij Military Council, who were killed during clashes with the “Islamic State” organization and due to bombings in al-Raqqa city and the southern banks of Euphrates River.

While al-Raqqa city is still witnessing the lack of many food supplies and much shortage in some of them, and reliable sources confirmed the absence of vegetables and fruits in the city market in addition to the significant shortage in medicines and drinking water and their surging prices. Thus, the civilians still residing in Al-Raqqah depend mainly on grains, rice and legumes which have been stored by the city citizens or the shops. Moreover, ISIS members are breaking into the shops and seizing its contents, especially clothes shops. A state of resentment also prevail among the residents of al-Raqqa city because of the daily massacre carried out by the International Coalition against the people and the displaced of the city, the state of resentment increases as the families accuse the International Coalition of targeting buildings claiming that snipers of ISIS are inside these buildings or on the top of them.