Thursday, August 31, 2017

Heavy Civilian Casualties Being Reported In The Battle Of Raqqa



Reuters: Heavy civilian casualties in Raqqa from air strikes: U.N.

GENEVA (Reuters) - Civilians caught up in the battle for the Syrian city of Raqqa are paying an “unacceptable price” and attacking forces may be contravening international law with their intense air strikes, the top United Nations human rights official said on Thursday.

A U.S.-led coalition is seeking to oust Islamic State from Raqqa, while Syrian government forces, backed by the Russian air force and Iran-backed militias are also advancing on the city.

Some 20,000 civilians are trapped in Raqqa where the jihadist fighters are holding some of them as human shields, the world body says.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein said that his office had documented 151 civilian deaths in six incidents alone in August, due to air strikes and ground-based attacks.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: For what it is worth, the coalition battling ISIS believes that the fight for Raqqa will be over in 2 months .... Exclusive: U.S.-backed Raqqa battle should end in two months, says senior SDF commander (Reuters).

More News On The Civilian Toll And Suffering In Raqqa

The Latest: UN official urges protection of Raqqa civilians -- Washington Post/AP
‘ISIS slaughter people, aircraft shell civilians’: UN estimates 27 Raqqa residents killed daily -- Newsline/RT
UN worried about civilians trapped in Raqqa -- Middle East Monitor
Hundreds of civilians killed since Raqqa offensive began, Amnesty says -- CNN
UN official: Half of trapped Raqqa population are children -- FOX News/AP
Young lives torn apart by war: Horrifying testimony from children who escaped ISIS in the Syrian city of Raqqa tells how they saw innocent people beheaded in the streets as it descended into a 'living hell' -- Daily Mail
Trapped in the ruins of Raqqa, we’re reduced to stealing from the dead -- Tim Ramadan, The Guardian

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