International Anti-ISIS Coalition & Allies Responsible for Massacres Taking Place in Raqqa

Press release

Syrian Coalition

Media Department

August 23, 2017

Warplanes of the international anti-ISIS coalition and militias of the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have committed a series of horrific massacres that, according to Reuters, claimed the lives of more than 100 civilians in Raqqa city over the past 48 hours.

The Syrian Coalition condemns these crimes as it holds the international anti-ISIS coalition responsible for the rising civilian casualties in Raqqa and warns of the dire consequences of the continued support for the SDF militias which are complicit in wart crimes in Syria.

The indiscriminate aerial and ground bombardment on Raqqa and its suburbs over the past few months have caused an exodus of civilians from their homes as well as created a state of chaos and panic among residents of the city. Tens of thousands of civilians are still trapped in the ISIS-held areas in extremely dangerous conditions. They are stuck between the hammer of the ISIS extremist group and the anvil of the SDF militias which are backed by the international coalition forces.

This crime is added to a litany of war committed against civilians in violation of international law.

The fight against terrorism cannot be achieved by targeting civilians or by supporting other forms of terrorism. A political solution cannot be reached unless the international community shows a firms stance towards the source of terrorism, namely the Assad regime which bears the primary responsibility for the spread of terrorism in Syria, the region and beyond.