"Mistake" airstrikes by the USA and its allies

[angelburst29]

14 civilians, including five members of a family, were killed in the US-led coalition air raids in the cities of Raqqa and al-Tabaqa, the Syrian media said Sunday.

More Civilians Killed in US-Led Coalition Airstrikes in Northeastern Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960210001412

April 30, 2017 - The Syrian TV reported that 8 civilians, including five members of a family, were killed in the US-led coalition warplanes' attacks on two neighborhoods of al-Mansoureh and al-Wahab in al-Tabaqa.

In the meantime, six more civilians were killed in the fighter jets' raid on Raqqa city, the TV report added.

Reports also said that five civilians were killed and several more were wounded in the coalition warplanes' attacks on the village of al-Sweidiyeh Kabirh in Western Raqqa in the recent days.

In relevant developments on Tuesday, the coalition warplanes targeted a vehicle carrying civilians near al-Tabaqa city in Western Raqqa, killing all the civilians on board, including several children.

Local sources reported that the victims were fleeing battlefields in al-Tabaqa city when they came under attack by the coalition fighter jets.

Over 28 civilians, including two women, were killed and wounded in fresh US airstrikes against regions in Western Raqqa.

US Airstrikes in Raqqa Leave Tens of Civilians Dead, Wounded Again
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960211000878

May 1, 2017 - The US-led coalition fighter jets targeted al-Tabaqa city in Western Raqqa, killing 10 civilians, including two women, and injuring 18 others.

The Syrian media said Sunday that 14 civilians, including five members of a family, were killed in the US-led coalition air raids in the cities of Raqqa and al-Tabaqa.

The Syrian TV reported that 8 civilians, including five members of a family, were killed in the US-led coalition warplanes' attacks on two neighborhoods of al-Mansoureh and al-Wahab in al-Tabaqa.

In the meantime, six more civilians were killed in the fighter jets' raid on Raqqa city, the TV report added.

Reports also said that five civilians were killed and several more were wounded in the coalition warplanes' attacks on the village of al-Sweidiyeh Kabirh in Western Raqqa in the recent days.

In relevant developments last Tuesday, the coalition warplanes targeted a vehicle carrying civilians near al-Tabaqa city in Western Raqqa, killing all the civilians on board, including several children.

Local sources reported that the victims were fleeing battlefields in al-Tabaqa city when they came under attack by the coalition fighter jets.

 

[Aeneas]

https://www.sott.net/article/348035-Pentagon-reports-US-led-coalition-airstrike-mistakenly-killed-18-Syrian-rebels-on-April-11

Pentagon reports US-led coalition airstrike mistakenly killed 18 Syrian rebels on April 11
RT
Thu, 13 Apr 2017 14:18 UTC
The US-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria mistakenly killed at least 18 Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters in an airstrike on April 11, the United States Central Command said in a statement.

"A Coalition air strike in support of partnered forces fighting ISIS south of Tabqah, Syria, resulted in 18 Syrian Democratic Forces personnel killed April 11," the statement said.

It added that the strike was "requested by the partnered forces," who identified the target location as "an ISIS fighting position."

"The target location was actually a forward Syrian Democratic Forces fighting position," it added.

The statement said that the Coalition expresses "deepest condolences" to the members of the SDF and their families and will implement appropriate safeguards to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Operation Inherent Resolve is the US military operation against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) which includes campaigns in Iraq and Syria. It was launched in summer 2014.

Tabqah is a town in Raqqa province, located some 55km from the city of Raqqa.

Earlier in April, reports emerged in Syrian media saying that at least 15 civilians, including three children and a woman, had been killed in a village near the city of Raqqa, in an alleged airstrike by the US-led coalition.

In March, following the latest round of investigations into Coalition airstrikes, the US Central Command said that warplanes had killed 21 civilians in nine separate strikes in Iraq and Syria, which brings the officially acknowledged civilian death toll from US-led Coalition strikes to 220 since 2014.

In October 2016, a report by Amnesty International said that 11 Coalition attacks "examined by the organization appear to have killed some 300 civilians during two years of strikes targeting the armed group calling itself Islamic State (IS)."

"It's high time the US authorities came clean about the full extent of the civilian damage caused by Coalition attacks in Syria," Lynn Maalouf, deputy director for research at Amnesty International's Beirut regional office, said.

https://www.sott.net/article/352056-Of-course-Pentagon-shifts-blame-to-ISIS-for-100-civilians-killed-during-airstrike-in-Mosul

Of course: Pentagon shifts blame to ISIS for 100+ civilians killed during airstrike in Mosul

RT
Thu, 25 May 2017 21:24 UTC

More than 100 civilians were killed when a US airstrike in Iraq triggered secondary explosions in March, according to a Pentagon investigation. Washington says Iraq requested the strike after Islamic State fighters began shooting at Iraqi forces.

The probe found that the March 17 airstrike on a building in Mosul's al-Jadida neighborhood triggered secondary explosions from devices planted by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) fighters.

Those secondary blasts, according to the military, caused the concrete building to collapse, leading to more than 100 civilian casualties, which likely represents the largest single incident of civilian deaths since the US air campaign against IS began in 201

Air Force Brig. Gen. Matthew Isler, the lead investigator of the probe, said 101 civilians in the building were killed and that another four died in a nearby building. He says 36 civilians remain unaccounted for.

Although the investigation acknowledges the civilian deaths caused, it appears to assign blame to Islamic State, with the probe noting that the episode began when two IS snipers began firing at troops from Iraq's Counterterrorism Service.

The Pentagon said military investigators led by Isler visited the site of the deadly airstrike twice, spoke to witnesses, and combed through more than 700 videos taken from coalition warplanes over a 10-day period before, during, and after the strike.

"This investigation reads more like an attempt to shift the blame on ISIS, [with the US saying], 'It's not our fault all these people died when our bomb hit the house, it's ISIS' fault for having all these people there as a human shield in the first place'," RT war correspondent Murad Gazdiev, who was in Mosul at the time of the airstrike, said.

In the aftermath of the attack, the Iraqi military set up an "information blockade" of the incident, he said, adding that no journalists were allowed "anywhere near the area." A video of the aftermath of the attack was released by AP almost a week later.

The airstrike on the house in Mosul's al-Jadida neighborhood on March 17 became one of the deadliest incidents of the Mosul siege - an operation carried out by the Iraqi Army with the support of the US-led coalition. There have been conflicting casualty reports, with the city's municipality chief, Abdul Sattar al-Habbo, putting the death toll of the attack as high as 240.

The US-led coalition has been using utterly disproportionate force in the battle for Mosul, with little regard for civilians, an international affairs commentator has told RT.

"The main point is that the Iraqi government and the Americans have been urging civilians not to flee but to remain in their homes where it'll be safer," John Steele said. "It's disproportionate to use a huge bomb on two snipers on the roof of the building, when there's a chance there could be civilians inside."

To counter such a threat as "two snipers," the coalition should have used infantry instead of an aerial bomb, Steele added.

"Accidents do happen, but we also have to bear in mind that this is not the first time the Americans have committed such acts," Middle East affairs expert Ali Rizk told RT.

"We always hear the Americans speak about 'collateral damage.' There is a complete disregard for human life in the way the Americans carry out war," he said, adding that a similar incident recently occurred with a US strike in Afghanistan. "You can't repeat these mistakes," he said.

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201705251053980954-russia-us-strikes-syria-tanf/

Moscow Considers US Justification of Airstrike Against Syrian Army Unacceptable

17:27 25.05.2017
Moscow considers Washington's attempts to justify the latter's coalition airstrike against Syrian troops near the town of al-Tanf over an alleged threat to US and Syrian opposition forces as unacceptable, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The US-led coalition conducted the airstrike last week under the claim that pro-government forces were moving inside a de-escalation zone in southern Syria, and posing a threat to forces of the United States and its allies. A spokesperson for the coalition told Sputnik that its forces fired warning shots prior to carrying out the airstrike.

“Once again I would like to focus on the airstrike carried out by the US-led coalition on May 18 against the Syrian pro-government troops near the settlement of al-Tanf in southeastern Syria. We regard the US command’s attempts to justify this airstrike with the alleged threat posed by the Syrian units to the opposition forces collaborating with the coalition, as well as to the US servicemen deployed in this area, as unacceptable,” Zakharova said at a press briefing.

She pointed out that the airstrike was carried out in violation of international law.
“There is an impression that the western partners still do not want to realize the necessity to consolidate the efforts of all actors that fight against terrorists in Syria on the ground and in the sky,” the spokeswoman added.

Last week, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennadiy Gatilov said the US coalition’s strike was carried out in violation of Syria's sovereignty, noting that is was not an operation against either Daesh or Jabhat Fatah al Sham (formerly al-Nusra Front) terror groups.

https://www.sott.net/article/352233-Damascus-urges-UN-to-immediately-halt-US-coalition-strikes-which-spread-chaos-benefit-terrorists

Damascus urges UN to immediately halt US coalition strikes, which 'spread chaos & benefit terrorists'
Syria has demanded an immediate halt to US-led airstrikes after another 35 civilians were killed by a coalition airstrike this week. In a letter to the UN, Damascus says these strikes create chaos and help terrorist launch attacks against government troops.

"Syria condemns the attacks of the alliance which target civilians and cause massive material damage to the infrastructure, facilities, and properties in Syria," the Foreign and Expatriates Ministry said in a letter addressed to the UN Secretary-General and the President of Security Council.

At least 35 civilians, including women and children, were killed on Thursday night when US-led coalition warplanes targeted the city of Al Mayadeen in the southeastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor province.

Damascus denounced the strike as an attack on "Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity under the pretext of combating terrorism."

While the coalition admitted it had conducted strikes near Al-Mayadin on May 25 and 26, in a statement to Reuters, its spokesman said they were still "assessing the results."

The action of the US and its coalition partners only contribute to spreading "chaos and destruction" which benefit terrorists, "particularly ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra," Damascus said.

The letter also accused the coalition of often targeting the "Syrian Army which is fighting terrorism," noting, that such strikes conveniently coincide with offensives launched by ISIS and al-Nusra on the ground.

The ministry reminded the UN that since the US has never received Damascus' consent to operate in their airspace, the coalition's actions "blatantly" contradict UN Security Council's resolutions, international law and international humanitarian law.

"Syria reiterates the importance of halting the illegal US-led coalition's actions and implementing Security Council resolutions related to counter-terrorism, including resolution no. 2253," the letter said, according to the state news agency, Sana.

https://www.sott.net/article/352243-Bad-aim-or-intentional-Report-of-US-led-coalition-strike-on-Raqqa-killing-20-civilians

Bad aim or intentional? Report of US-led coalition strike on Raqqa killing 20 civilians

Sputnik
Sun, 28 May 2017 12:40 UTC

An airstrike carried out by the US-led coalition on Saturday in Raqqa killed 20 civilians, SANA news agency reported citing a local source.

The coalition conducted a strike on a vehicle carrying civilians from Raqqa late on Saturday, the source revealed.

There was no immediate comment from the US-led coalition.

The coalition carries out airstrikes in this area to support ground operation conducted by the Syrian Democratic Forces, consisting of Kurdish and Arab troops. Damascus does not recognize operations carried out by the SDF as legitimate.

Earlier on Saturday, Damascus sent letters to the UN Secretary-General (UNSG) and the UN Security Council (UNSC), calling for the cessation of the US-led coalition airstrikes in Syria as it causes numerous deaths among civilians and violates international law.

A recent report issued by the Syrian Network for Human Rights showed that the US-led coalition strikes had killed over 1,200 civilians since the beginning of the operation in 2014. Later that month, an airstrike carried out by the coalition in Syria's eastern town of Al Bukamal reportedly killed at least 31 civilians and injured many others.

 

[angelburst29]

The loss of civilians' lives in Syrian Raqqa, as well as the terrorist attack in UK's Manchester Arena should be thoroughly investigated, First Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security Frants Klintsevich said Sunday.

Coalition Must Be Held Accountable for Killing Civilians in Syria - Russian MP
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201705281054072932-us-coalition-raqqa-civilians-manchester/

Earlier in the day, the SANA news agency reported that the US-led international coalition had carried out an anti-terrorist operation in the Syrian province of Raqqa, which resulted in the deaths of 20 civilians.

The tragedy in Raqqa, as well as in Manchester, should be thoroughly investigated, with the obligatory punishment of those guilty," Klintsevich said, as cited by his press service.

Klintsevich stressed that it was not the first case of civilian killing in Syria as a result of the coalition's airstrikes.

The US-led coalition of 68 nations is conducting airstrikes, ground-based and rocket-propelled artillery fire in Syria and Iraq against Daesh, outlawed in Russia. The coalition supports the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which predominately consists of Kurdish fighters but also includes members of the Syrian Arab Coalition.

The coalition has not provided any comments regarding the airstrike in Raqqa so far.

On May 15, an airstrike carried out by the coalition in Syria's eastern town of al-Bukamal reportedly killed at least 31 civilians and injured many others.

 

[angelburst29]

The US-led coalition has attacked a convoy full of civilians fleeing the ISIS capital of Raqqa, hitting them near the towns of Ratleh and Kasrah, and killing at least 20 people, according to reports from the Syrian state media.

Total Madness As The U.S. Kills Over 20 People Trying To Flee ISIS Terrorists, Once Again Bombing And Murdering Civilians In Syria
http://novorossia.today/total-madness-u-s-kills-20-people-trying-flee-isis-terrorists-bombing-murdering-civilians-syria/

This is the latest in a flurry of attacks by US forces against targets in the eastern half of Syria, centered roughly around Raqqa and other ISIS-held territory, with well over 100 civilians killed in previous strikes, most of them family members of ISIS fighters.

While the exact identities of who these civilians were in the latest strikes, they probably weren’t ISIS family members, because they were fleeing ISIS territory. This makes the incident particularly problematic from the US perspective, even if officially they have yet to address it, and Defense Secretary James Mattis is downplaying concerns about killing civilians in general.

US designs on eventually having their allies, the Kurdish YPG, invade Raqqa are going to depend heavily on their ability to get at least some of the civilians out of the city, to keep civilian casualties limited. Those evacuations will be hard to push if the US is attacking those fleeing.

 

[angelburst29]

Since Trump took Office, there has been a significant increase in civilian deaths, due to U.S. airstrikes in both Syria and Iraq. In a recent report, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has stated that the U.S. coalition strikes are unrelated "to Anti-Terror efforts". In another report by
Secretary of Defense James Mattis, he states "the US-led campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has shifted from “attrition tactics” to “annihilation tactics.” I came across another report "that suggests" - The casualties have been overwhelmingly civilian in nature, and many reports suggest those civilians were mostly relatives of ISIS fighters.

I can't verify the report, as of yet, that the U.S. coalition is now deliberately targeting ISIS family members but it wouldn't surprise me - if concrete evidence came out, verifying that claim?

Russia said US-led coalition airstrikes have nothing to do with anti-terrorism efforts, expressing concern with recent civilian casualties.

Russia: US-Led Coalition Strikes Unrelated to Anti-Terror Efforts
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960310001356

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted at a weekly briefing that 20 civilians have been killed in a May 27 coalition strike south of Raqqa. She voiced concern over the May 25 attack in Mayadin Southeast of Deir Ezzur, where at least 35 civilians have been reportedly killed, Al Manar reported.

“We condemn such, to put it mildly, ill-conceived and ill-planned actions that are carried out under the pretext of combating international terrorism. Of course, they do not have any relation to the fight, especially to the effective fight against international terrorism,” Zakharova said.

She stressed, “in fact, the air raids further exacerbate the already difficult situation in Syria, lead to an increase in the number of casualties among the peaceful Syrians, wreak havoc and destruction, play into the hands of terrorist organizations.”

UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O'Brien said that over 100 Syrian civilians have been killed as a result of the airstrikes of the US-led international anti-terrorist coalition in recent weeks.

Over 100 Syrian Civilians Killed in US-Led Coalition Strikes in Recent Weeks
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201705311054144476-hundred-syrian-civilians-killed-usa-coalition/

Over 100 Syrian civilians have been killed as a result of the airstrikes of the US-led international anti-terrorist coalition in the provinces of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor in recent weeks, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O'Brien said.

Just last week, 30 children and women were gravely injured in a heinous attack by ISIL on besieged neighbourhoods in Deir ez-Zor as they were lining up for water. In addition, more than a hundred civilians, many of them women and children, have fallen victim, in recent weeks, to the escalating counter-ISIL airstrikes, particularly in the north-eastern governorates of Al-Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor," O'Brien said addressing the UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday.

On May 28, the SANA news agency reported that the coalition's warplanes hit a vehicle carrying civilians five miles to the south of the city of Raqqa. As a result of the airstrike, 20 people died and seven others were injured.

On May 15, an airstrike carried out by the coalition in Syria's eastern town of Al Bukamal reportedly killed at least 31 civilians and injured many others.

The US-led coalition of 68 nations is conducting airstrikes, ground-based and rocket-propelled artillery fire in Syria and Iraq against the Islamic State (Daesh) terrorist group. The coalition supports the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which predominately consists of Kurdish fighters but also includes members of the Syrian Arab Coalition.

Earlier this week, a spokesperson for the US Department of Defense told Sputnik that the coalition would assess the recent reports on airstrikes in the Syrian province of Raqqa, which allegedly resulted in civilian killings.

Secretary of Defense James Mattis has again declared, during a lengthy interview with CBS News on Sunday, that the US-led campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has shifted from “attrition tactics” to “annihilation tactics.”

US-backed Iraqi forces carry out “annihilation tactics” in Mosul
http://rinf.com/alt-news/newswire/us-backed-iraqi-forces-carry-out-annihilation-tactics-in-mosul/

Mattis implied these “tactics” included the extra-judicial execution of wounded or captured people suspected of being ISIS militants—a flagrant war crime under international law. The former marine general, who directed the murderous US military assaults against Iraqi insurgents in the city of Fallujah in 2004, told CBS: “Our intention is that the foreign fighters do not survive to return home to North Africa, to Europe, to America, to Asia, to Africa. We’re not going to allow them to do so.”

Over the course of the past week, US warplanes have repeatedly targeted the town of Mayadeen, in the ISIS-held part of Syria. The casualties have been overwhelmingly civilian in nature, and many reports suggest those civilians were mostly relatives of ISIS fighters.

Is Trump Deliberately Having ISIS Relatives Killed?
_http://news.antiwar.com/2017/05/29/is-trump-deliberately-having-isis-relatives-killed/

This would just be another round of US warplanes killing a hundred-plus civilians in their air war, except that during the presidential campaign, President Trump very publicly advocated adopting a US military strategy of deliberately killing civilian relatives of ISIS members, insisting that was the only way to deter ISIS.

Put these two facts together and you’ve got a recipe for a potentially explosive question: is President Trump implementing this policy within the Pentagon, and is that the reason the death toll among civilian family members of ISIS fighters has soared in recent days?

Officials have been unusually mum about the Mayadeen strikes, with only a single statement confirming they carried out the attacks, but insisting they were still not sure what casualties might’ve resulted from it. In having not admitted to the deaths yet, they likewise aren’t yet at the point where they have to address the question of why they killed them.

It was pointed out during the 2016 campaign, but bears repeating, particularly now, that a family member of a combatant is not themselves a combatant, and deliberately targeting civilians is necessarily a war-crime, irrespective of who they are related to.

When that was pointed out during the debate, President Trump attacked the Geneva Conventions, insisting “everyone believes in the Geneva Conventions until they start losing.” The administration has not, however, admitted this has become formal policy.

 

[angelburst29]

Several other Syrian civilians were killed in another US-led coalition air raid in the Northern city of Raqqa.

US-Led Coalition Bombers Continue Massacring Civilians in Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960311000589

Local sources said that 7 civilians were killed in al-Jame al-Qadim district of Raqqa by the US warplanes. The US fighter jets had also last week pounded the villages of al-Baroudeh and Dabsi Afnan in Western Raqqa, killing 18 civilians.

Pentagon chief James Mattis has recently said that the US is “accelerating the tempo” of the fight against ISIL, and that civilian deaths should be anticipated as a “fact of life”.

The comments came after new figures from war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights found that the last four-week period was the deadliest for Syrian civilians on record since the US-led coalition bombing campaign began in 2014.

Meanwhile, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O'Brien announced that over 100 Syrian civilians have been killed as a result of the airstrikes of the US-led international anti-terrorist coalition in the provinces of Raqqa and Deir Ezzur in recent weeks.

Based on reports, since the first days of 2017 hundreds of civilians have been killed in the US-led coalition's airstrikes in Syria and Iraq.

The US army had previously claimed that only 220 civilians were killed in the air attacks of the coalition under its command in Syria and Iraq since 2014.

The US command also noted that it could not investigate all reports of possible civilian casualties using “traditional investigative methods,” which involves interviewing witnesses and examining the site of the strike.

Instead, the coalition interviewed pilots and servicemen that took part in combat missions to draw results. The US command also reviewed strike surveillance videos and analyzed government and non-governmental organizations’ traditional and social media content.

In the meantime, Iraq Body Count's website disclosed that 2,316 civilians were killed in air raids of the so-called anti-ISIL coalition only in Iraq since September 1, 2014 till September 1, 2016.

The US army declared estimates of 220 casualties fall far below the number voiced by some monitoring groups.

The Airwars monitoring group, reckoned that at least 2,463 civilians have been killed by coalition air strikes.

Amnesty International’s figures sharply contradict Washington’s assessment as well.

“We fear the US-led coalition is significantly underestimating the harm caused to civilians in its operations in Syria,” said Lynn Maalouf, Deputy Director for Research at Amnesty International’s Beirut regional office.

A Military Times investigation had also revealed that the US Central Command also misled the public when it failed to account for nearly 6,000 strikes dating back to 2014, when the US-led coalition launched its first airstrikes against ISIL terrorist targets.

In October, a senior politician and member of Syria's Democratic Union blasted the wrong reports given out by different US and world bodies on the number of the civilian victims of the US airstrikes on Syria, disclosing that Washington's air assaults on his country claimed the lives of over 5,000 civilians since 2014.

"The recent accusation leveled by Amnesty International against the US-led coalition for its reckless attitude towards civilian lives in its operations since the second half of 2014 is right, but this report mentions wrong figures for the relevant death toll," Mohammad Khalaf Qandil, a senior politician and member of Syria’s Democratic Union, said.

He reiterated that the number of the civilian casualties of the US-led airstrikes in the last two years was by no means any less than 5,000.

The senior politician also slammed the Amnesty International for its long delay in releasing the report, saying that the report was released while the US was committing crimes in Syria and killing large groups of civilians so freely and without any international backlash for several years now.

"These air raids have surely inflicted heavy losses on the Syrian army which is fighting the terrorists in Syria," Qandil lamented.

Qandil's remarks came after the Amnesty International reported that the US airstrikes in Syria claimed the lives of 300 to 1,000 civilians.

 

[angelburst29]

The US-led anti-Daesh coalition has increased the number of civilian casualties of counterterrorism strikes, Operation Inherent Resolve said in its monthly casualty report on Friday.

Number of Civilian Casualties in Anti-Daesh Strikes Raises to 484
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201706021054254914-us-coalition-strikes-casualities/

The US-led coalition against Daesh (banned in Russia) has increased the number of civilian casualties of counterterrorism strikes by 132 to 484, Operation Inherent Resolve said in its monthly casualty report on Friday.

"To date, based on information available, CJTF-OIR assesses that, it is more likely than not, at least 484 civilians have been unintentionally killed by Coalition strikes since the start of Operation Inherent Resolve," the report stated.

The coalition completed an assessment of 47 civilian casualties reports in April, determining that only 16 of them were credible and indicated that 132 unintentional civilian deaths took place.

At the end of the month, the coalition was still investigating 38 reports, according to the release.

The coalition noted that only 0.99 percent of the strikes resulted in reports of possible civilian casualties.

The US-led coalition of 69 members is conducting airstrikes, ground-based and rocket-propelled artillery fire against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. The strikes in Iraq are conducted in support of the Iraqi government, but those in Syria are not authorized by the UN Security Council or the government of President Bashar Assad.

The US military continues to assist an Iraqi unit that has been banned by US Congress from receiving training and equipment due to human rights abuses.

US Guilty of Working With Iraqi Militia Accused of Torturing, Killing Civilians
https://sputniknews.com/military/201706021054253290-iraq-militia-us-aid/

Members of the Emergency Response Division (ERD), which was put on the blacklist by US Congress in 2015, were photographed torturing and killing civilians in Mosul last year. However a spokesman for the US military said that "the ban does not prevent the US from working with the ERD, as we do with other elements of the Iraqi security forces, to help a coordinated effort among different elements of the ISF in the fight to defeat ISIS [Daesh] in Mosul."

The ERD was put on the blacklist under a US law called the Leahy Law. The law stipulates that non-US armed forces are prohibited from getting military support if "there is credible information that such a unit has committed a gross violation of human rights."

International human rights organizations, such as Human Rights Watch, have derided the US' continued association with the group, saying that "the US is dangerously close to complicity" in the group's crimes.

The US government is playing a clunky shell game, pretending to move its assistance away from abusive Iraqi units like the ERD, while still working with them, training them and coordinating with them," Sarah Leah Whitson, the Middle East Executive for Human Rights Watch is quoted as saying.

Despite widespread condemnation over the ERD's human rights record on the battlefield, US military commanders have lauded the way the group has fought on the battlefield.

In January, 2016, US army colonel Brett Sylvia, said that the ERD is a "very effective fighting force." Following this, a US major general, Joseph Martin, who is said to be one of the most senior commanders in Iraq, tweeted his support for the ERD.

Since launching the bid to retake Mosul from Daesh control, the Iraqi government has sanctioned predominantly Shia paramilitaries to fight alongside its national army.

The paramilitaries have been accused of sewing the seeds of sectarianism by carrying out atrocities against Sunni civilians in areas liberated from Daesh. The militias are known for the extrajudicial killings of Sunnis who they believe are guilty of working in cahoots with Daesh.

 

[angelburst29]

Tens of civilians, including women and children, have been killed and wounded in the US-led coalition airstrikes on a number of residential units and a hospital in Raqqa, Local sources reported.

Over 40 Civilians Killed in US Coalition Air Raid on Residential Areas, Hospital in Northeastern Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960313000346

Sat. June 3, 2017 - The sources said that al-Mawasah hospital in Raqqa city was targeted and destroyed by the US-led coalition fighter jets, adding that a number of civilians including women and children were killed in the raid.

In the meantime, the coalition warplanes bombed the village of al-Sweideh near the town of Ma'adan East of Raqqa and al-Jamaili neighborhood in Raqqa city, leaving tens of civilians, including children and women dead and some others injured.

Based on the reports almost 43 civilians have been killed and tens of others have been wounded in the US-led coalition airstrikes.

The reports added that some of the injured are in critical condition.

Relevant reports said on Thursday that several more Syrian civilians were killed in another US-led coalition air raid in the Northern city of Raqqa.

Local sources said that 7 civilians were killed in al-Jame al-Qadim district of Raqqa by the US warplanes.

The US fighter jets had also last week pounded the villages of al-Baroudeh and Dabsi Afnan in Western Raqqa, killing 18 civilians.

Pentagon chief James Mattis recently said that the US was “accelerating the tempo” of the fight against ISIL, and that civilian deaths should be anticipated as a “fact of life”.

The comments came after new figures from war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights found that the last four-week period was the deadliest for Syrian civilians on record since the US-led coalition bombing campaign began in 2014.

Meanwhile, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O'Brien announced that over 100 Syrian civilians have been killed as a result of the airstrikes of the US-led international anti-terrorist coalition in the provinces of Raqqa and Deir Ezzur in recent weeks.

Based on reports, since the first days of 2017 hundreds of civilians were killed in the US-led coalition's airstrikes in Syria and Iraq.

The US army had previously claimed that only 220 civilians were killed in the air attacks of the coalition under its command in Syria and Iraq since 2014.

The US command also noted that it could not investigate all reports of possible civilian casualties using “traditional investigative methods,” which involves interviewing witnesses and examining the site of the strike.

Instead, the coalition interviewed pilots and servicemen that took part in combat missions to draw results. The US command also reviewed strike surveillance videos and analyzed government and non-governmental organizations’ traditional and social media content.

In the meantime, Iraq Body Count's website disclosed that 2,316 civilians were killed in air raids of the so-called anti-ISIL coalition only in Iraq since September 1, 2014 till September 1, 2016.

The US army declared estimates of 220 casualties fall far below the number voiced by some monitoring groups.

The Airwars monitoring group, reckoned that at least 2,463 civilians were killed by coalition air strikes.

Amnesty International’s figures sharply contradicted Washington’s assessment as well.

“We fear the US-led coalition is significantly underestimating the harm caused to civilians in its operations in Syria,” said Lynn Maalouf, Deputy Director for Research at Amnesty International’s Beirut regional office.

A Military Times investigation had also revealed that the US Central Command also misled the public when it failed to account for nearly 6,000 strikes dating back to 2014, when the US-led coalition launched its first airstrikes against ISIL terrorist targets.

In October, a senior politician and member of Syria's Democratic Union blasted the wrong reports given out by different US and world bodies on the number of the civilian victims of the US airstrikes on Syria, disclosing that Washington's air assaults on his country claimed the lives of over 5,000 civilians since 2014.

"The recent accusation leveled by Amnesty International against the US-led coalition for its reckless attitude towards civilian lives in its operations since the second half of 2014 is right, but this report mentions wrong figures for the relevant death toll," Mohammad Khalaf Qandil, a senior politician and member of Syria’s Democratic Union, said.

He reiterated that the number of the civilian casualties of the US-led airstrikes in the last two years was by no means any less than 5,000.

The senior politician also slammed the Amnesty International for its long delay in releasing the report, saying that the report was released while the US was committing crimes in Syria and killing large groups of civilians so freely and without any international backlash for several years now.

"These air raids have surely inflicted heavy losses on the Syrian army which is fighting the terrorists in Syria," Qandil lamented.

Qandil's remarks came after the Amnesty International reported that the US airstrikes in Syria claimed the lives of 300 to 1,000 civilians

 

[angelburst29]

Over 30 civilians from Syrian Raqqa were killed as a result of the US-led coalition's airstrikes on the Islamic State (IS, outlawed in Russia) terrorist group's targets in the city's neighborhood, media reported Monday.

US-Led Coalition Airstrikes Near Syrian Raqqa Reportedly Kill Over 30 Civilians
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201706061054342145-us-coalition-strikes-30-civilians-killed/

06.06.2017 - The civilians were shelled, while they were trying to leave the territories controlled by terrorists via the Euphrates river, the Lebanese Al Mayadeen broadcaster said.

On Saturday, Syrian state media reported that at least 43 civilians were killed as a result of a US-led coalition airstrike in Syria's Raqqa.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned the airstrikes and sent two letters the UN secretary general and the head of the Security Council, in which the US-led coalition's actions were compared to the Daesh crimes.

On May 31, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O'Brien said that over 100 Syrian civilians had been killed as a result of the airstrikes of the US-led international anti-terrorist coalition in the provinces of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor in recent weeks.

The US-led coalition of 68 nations is conducting airstrikes, ground-based and rocket-propelled artillery fire in Syria and Iraq against Daesh. The coalition supports the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which predominately consists of Kurdish fighters but also includes members of the Syrian Arab Coalition.

Syrian army as well as numerous armed groups, such as the SDF have been fighting against Daesh that had occupied vast territories of the Middle Eastern country, including Raqqa. The SDF are currently conducting the Wrath of Euphrates operation aimed at liberation of the de-facto capital of the self-proclaimed Daesh caliphate.

 

[angelburst29]

At Least 3,800 Civilians Killed By US-Coalition Attacks In Iraq, Syria Since 2014
http://www.mintpressnews.com/at-least-3800-civilians-killed-by-us-coalition-attacks-in-iraq-syria-since-2014/228511/

June 5, 2017 - With its latest official declaration estimating the number of innocent people killed by airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, the U.S. military has admitted killing 484 civilians since beginning a bombing campaign and ground operations to unseat the Islamic State (ISIS) from strongholds in the two countries.

Though that number is far lower than estimates put forth by independent monitoring groups, the death toll reveals rising casualty levels as the U.S.-led coalition has reportedly loosened restrictions and engagement protocols under President Donald Trump.

“With the vast majority of strikes hitting territory under [ISIS] control,” the Independent notes, “the true number of casualties and the victims’ identities are difficult to verify.” But according to Airwars, a UK-based watchdog group which monitors the conflict for civilian deaths, at least 3,800 civilians have been killed by coalition attacks since 2014, with the rate of deaths rising since January of this year.

In a statement, US Central Command (CentCom) on Friday claimed the killing of innocent people is “unavoidable” in some circumstances even though it claimed to make “extraordinary efforts to strike military targets in a manner that minimizes the risk of civilian casualties.”

Days earlier, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein publicly urged the Iraqi military and the U.S.-led forces fighting ISIS to be much more vigilant in distinguishing between legitimate military targets and civilians.

“The rising toll of civilian deaths and injuries already caused by airstrikes in Deir-ez-Zor and Al-Raqqa suggests that insufficient precautions may have been taken in the attacks,” Zeid said, referencing a recent pair of airstrikes, each of which claimed scores of innocent lives.

“Just because ISIS holds an area does not mean less care can be taken,” he added. “Civilians should always be protected, whether they are in areas controlled by ISIS or by any other party.”

Over the weekend it was reported that U.S.-backed militia forces in Syria had defeated ISIS militants in key areas near Raqqa and last week an unnamed Pentagon official told the Washington Examiner that “shit is about to go down in Raqqa,” indicating a full-scale assault on the city could begin within days.

According to recent reporting by The Intercept‘s Murtaza Hussain, the U.S. has recently ramped up its bombing campaign near Raqqa with “civilians paying the price.” Hussain chronicled the recent killing of the al-Aish family—which included “three women between the ages of 23 and 40, and five children, the youngest one just 6 months old.” The family, along with several others, was attempting to flee Raqqa when their car was bombed by a coalition airstrike.

Additionally troubling, Hussain noted, was that for those caught between ISIS and U.S.-coalition forces, life is likely to become even more treacherous in the weeks and months ahead. He reported:

worse days for civilians in northern Syria could still be ahead, as the United States and its allies prepare for a terminal offensive against Raqqa — the last urban stronghold of ISIS and the capital of its deteriorating proto-state.

“Rarely a day goes by now when we don’t see three or four civilian casualty incidents attributed to coalition airstrikes around Raqqa,” Airwars director Chris Woods told The Intercept. “All of the local monitoring groups are now reporting that the coalition is killing more civilians than Russia on a regular basis.”

And when Woods refers to the coalition in Syria, he is largely referring to the United States. Based on announcements from U.S. Central Command, Airwars estimates that the overwhelming majority of coalition strikes have come from U.S. warplanes.

But in contrast to Iraq, where the coalition is providing air support for local forces fighting to retake the city of Mosul, there has been little public attention paid to the air campaign in Syria. “We have been killing a lot of civilians in and around Raqqa for quite some time now, yet these incidents are rarely admitted by the coalition and there is almost no interest from international media,” Woods says. “We have to question where the empathy is for the local population.”

 

[angelburst29]

At least 12 people were killed in a series of airstrikes carried out by the US-led coalition in the Syrian province of al-Hasakah, SANA state news agency reported on Monday.

US-Led Coalition Strikes Near Syrian-Iraqi Border Reportedly Kill 12 Civilians
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201706201054795526-us-led-coalition-strike-civilian-casualties/

The airstrikes were carried out on Monday night in Tal al-Shayer area near the Syrian-Iraqi borders in the province of al-Hasakah, SANA reported citing local sources.

According to SANA, all 12 people that were killed in the attack allegedly belonged to one family.

The US-led coalition of 69 members is conducting airstrikes, ground-based and rocket-propelled artillery fire against Daesh in Syria and Iraq. The strikes in Iraq are conducted in support of the Iraqi government, but those in Syria are not authorized by the UN Security Council or the government of President Bashar Assad.

The activities of the coalition frequently result in attacks on government forces or civilian casualties.

On June 9, more than 30 people were killed as a result of the airstrike by the coalition aircraft on the Internet club in the Jazra area in Raqqa, according to SANA.

On Sunday, a US jet shot down a Syrian Su-22 fighter-bomber near the city of Tabqa. The coalition said the Syrian aircraft attacked Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) positions, adding that the coalition downed the Syrian jet as part of "collective self-defense of Coalition partnered forces."

 

[angelburst29]

US-Led Coalition Strikes Near Syrian-Iraqi Border Reportedly Kill 12 Civilians
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201706201054795526-us-led-coalition-strike-civilian-casualties/

At least 12 people, all of them from a single family were killed, after aircrafts of the US-led so-called “anti-ISIS” international coalition attacked the residential areas in Tal Al Shayer, a town located in the southeastern countryside of the northeastern Syrian town of Hasakeh, close to Iraqi border.

12 Civilians Dead After "Anti-ISIS" Coalition Forces Strike a Residential Area in Northeastern Syria
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/06/12-civilians-dead-after-anti-isis.html

The latest atrocity happened on Monday night.

Despite once again targeting civilians, no criticism was drawn by the UN Security Council or any other international body.

This was just one of the many war crimes, deliberately carried against the Syria civilians in recent weeks.

Previously, On June 14th, the coalition aircrafts launched several airstrikes and targeted a water crossing on the Euphrates River, east of Deir Ez Zour city. 3 civilians lost their lives in the assault.

Five days prior, On June 9th, the coalition forces went even further and carried out no less than 25 air strikes, while using the bombs, containing the internationally banned white phosphorus.

The strikes hit the residential areas in the western outskirts of Raqqah city and the area between the neighbourhoods of Al Sebahi, Mashalab and Al Sinaa.

17 people, majority of them being women and children, were killed in these raids.

 

[Aeneas]

Yahwee must be angry as the number of civilians sacrified (killed) in recent days by the US coalition is mindblowing. Do they have a target tally of civilians that they have to kill each month in order to get continued funding, one wonders.

This one is from 3 days ago:
https://sputniknews.com/world/201706271055016865-us-strike-syria-mayadin/

US-Led Coalition to Assess Reports of Civilian Casualties in Syria’s Mayadin

18:01 27.06.2017(updated 18:19 27.06.2017) Get short URL131703
A civilian team within the US-led coalition against Daesh (banned in Russia) will assess reports of civilian casualties after a strike in the Syrian city of Mayadin on June 25, Operation Inherent Resolve spokesperson told Sputnik on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed 42 prisoners of Daesh (banned in Russia) died in the strike along with 15 militants.
"This allegation will be provided to our civilian casualty team for assessment," the spokesperson said. "The results of the assessment will be published in a monthly civilian casualty report."

The spokesperson noted that the coalition conducted strikes in Mayadin on June 25-26 that targeted Daesh’s command and control facilities and other terrorists’ infrastructure.

"This mission was meticulously planned and executed to reduce the risk of collateral damage and potential harm to non-combatants," the spokesperson said. the usual standard verbiage coming from the US military when civilians are slaughtered

The US-led coalition of 69 members is conducting airstrikes, ground-based and rocket-propelled artillery fire against Daesh in Syria and Iraq.

The strikes in Iraq are conducted in support of the Iraqi government, but those in Syria are not authorized by the UN Security Council or the government of President Bashar Assad.

And then today:
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201706281055048011-syria-us-led-coalition-strike/

At Least 40 Civilians Killed in Coalition Strikes on Syrian Village

16:30 28.06.2017(updated 18:04 28.06.2017) Get short URL61262020

At least 40 civilians have been killed in airstrikes conducted by the US-Led Coalition on a community in Syria's Deir ez-Zor on Wednesday, SANA news agency reports citing local sources.

The airstrike hit the village of al-Dablan located in Deir ez-Zor governorate, SANA reported. The majority of victims were women and children.

"The [US-led] coalition carried out airstrikes on the civilians' homes in al-Dablan village in the area of Mayadin," the report said. "[The strikes] led to the deaths of more than 40 civilians, the majority of which were women and children, as well as to dozens of people sustaining injuries."

The houses were also damaged in the airstrikes, according to SANA. Local sources told the news agency that the terrified villagers were forced to leave their homes and flee for the desert in an attempt to escape further strikes.

A still image taken from a video released on the internet by Islamic State-affiliated Amaq News Agency, on April 18, 2017, purports to show the aftermath, said to be in al-Bukamal town, in Deir al-Zor province, after air strikes thought to have been directed by planes from a U.S.-led military coalition, Syria

The US-led coalition of 69 members is conducting airstrikes, ground-based and rocket-propelled artillery fire against Daesh in Syria and Iraq. The strikes in Iraq are conducted in support of the Iraqi government, but those in Syria are not authorized by the UN Security Council or the government of President Bashar Assad.
On Tuesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed 42 prisoners of Daesh (banned in Russia) died along with 15 militants in a coalition strike in the Syrian city of Mayadin on June 25. SANA reported that at least 42 people had died in the strike. Operation Inherent Resolve spokesperson subsequently told Sputnik that a civilian team within the US-led coalition against Daesh would assess reports of civilian casualties.

The first report is from SOHR, which can be accurate and in this case cooperated by SANA and the second is only from SANA which is more reliable. There will probably be confirmation from other sources in the days to come.

 

[angelburst29]

The US-led “anti-ISIS” international coalition forces have committed yet another massacre against civilians in the eastern Syrian province of Deir Ez Zour, the third one in the past three days, and right in time when ISIS is facing some of its greatest losses against the Syrian Army in its entire history.

US-led Coalition Forces Once Again Attack Civilians in Deir Ez Zour, Amid the Huge Losses of ISIS Terrorists
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/06/us-led-coalition-forces-once-again.html

At least eight people were killed and many more were left injured, after coalition aircrafts targeted residential area in the town of Al Sour, located in the northern countryside of Deir Ez Zour.

According to local sources, the coalition jets struck the housing complex in Al Sour. Aside from civilian casualties, massive material damage was also caused.

This is the third attack on civilians in Deir Ez Zour province in the past three days.

Yesterday, coalition jets attacked the residential area in the town of Dablan, killing at least 50 civilians, while the day before they struck the town of Mayadeen, located east of Deir Ez Zour. 42 civilians were killed as a result of the raids.

 

[angelburst29]

A number of civilians were killed in the US-led fighter jets' attacks on regions in the Southern parts of Hasaka.

More Civlians Killed in US-Led Coalition Airstrikes in Hasaka
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960422000634

The US warplanes pounded the village of Kashkash in the Southern parts of al-Shadadi city in Southern Hasaka, killing 6 civilians, including 2 women.

In a relevant development on Wednesday, 24 civilians, including women and children, were killed and several more were wounded in the US-led coalition air raids in the provinces of Hasaka and Deir Ezzur.

The coalition's fighter jets bombed the town of Albu Kamal in Eastern Deir Ezzur, killing 14 civilians.

In the meantime, the warplanes targeted the village of al-Zayanat in the Southern countryside of the town of al-Shadadi in Hasaka province, killing 10 civilians, including a woman and town children.

Field sources reported that a number of civilians were also injured, adding the death toll will possible rise due to the critical conditions of some of the injured.

Relevant reports said on Monday that at at least 50 civilians were killed in the US-led coalition air raid and military operations of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Raqqa.

A monitoring group said that at least 50 civilians were killed in the coalition's air raid and artillery and missile attacks of the SDF in Raqqa city in last 48 hours.

The report said that the coalition fighter jets carried out 25 combat flights over Raqqa in on Saturday and Sunday.

24 civilians, including women and children, were killed and several more were wounded in the US-led coalition air raids in the provinces of Hasaka and Deir Ezzur.

More Civilians Killed in US-Led Coalition Airstrikes in Northeastern, Eastern Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960421000641

The coalition's fighter jets bombed the town of Albu Kamal in Eastern Deir Ezzur, killing 14 civilians.

In the meantime, the warplanes targeted the village of al-Zayanat in the Southern countryside of the town of al-Shadadi in Hasaka province, killing 10 civilians, including a woman and town children.

Field sources reported that a number of civilians were also injured, adding the death toll will possible rise due to the critical conditions of some of the injured.

Relevant reports said on Monday that at least 50 civilians were killed in the US-led coalition air raid and military operations of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Raqqa.

Leaked Government Documents said Australian elite special forces are under investigation for the possible unlawful killings of civilians in Afghanistan, including of a six-year-old child.

Leaked Docs: Australia’s Elite Special Forces Probed over Potential Unlawful Killings
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960421000724

The papers also reveal details of a hand-severing incident involving the SAS. Details of the killings are included in leaked Australian Defence Force documents totaling hundreds of pages, many of which were marked “AUSTEO” (Australian Eyes Only), RT reported.

The documents were leaked exclusively to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), and have been referred to as “The Afghan Files” by the news outlet.

At least two of the potentially unlawful killing incidents are being investigated by the Inspector General of the Australian Defence Force, as part of a wider probe into the conduct of special forces in Afghanistan.

One of those incidents involves the deaths of a man and his six-year-old child during a raid. The Afghan boy was hidden in blankets near a target sought by Australian troops, thought to be a Taliban member. Australian forces managed to kill their target, but also inadvertently killed the child with a single gunshot wound to the abdomen. The child’s family received a compensation payment of US$1,500.

An inquiry found that there was insufficient evidence to conclude that the alleged Taliban target was actually part of the group, or an insurgent at all. However, it also concluded that the Australian soldiers had fired in self-defense and exercised appropriate restraint. The case has been referred to the Inspector General’s inquiry.

Another case mentioned is the killing of a detainee who was alone with an Australian soldier and allegedly tried to seize his weapon.

Both of the incidents being investigated occurred in September 2013.

ABC listed a number of other cases of civilian deaths at the hands of Australian troops in Afghanistan, along with the outcomes of various inquiries that were launched. A US helicopter airstrike that killed two Afghan boys and three donkeys instead of insurgents after being called in by Australian troops is one of them.

The documents also shed additional light on the severing of hands by an SAS corporal, which was initially revealed by the ABC in 2013.

According to the documents, special forces were in search of a target codenamed “Objective Rapier,” an insurgent commander responsible for numerous attacks, in April 2013. A total of 120 soldiers were involved in the operation, including troops from the Special Air Service (SAS) and commandos.

Four insurgents were killed in the southern province of Zabul during the operation, with an SAS corporal searching the first body and finding a Makarov pistol.

“He then severed a single hand of the EKIA (enemy killed in action) with a scalpel,” a report of the inquiry into the matter says, according to ABC.