Jul 19, 2016
Dozens of civilians, including children, were killed on Monday and Tuesday by U.S.-led airstrikes in Syria.
The strikes appeared to have been a mistake, with the civilians taken for Islamic State (IS or ISIS) militants, the U.K.-based human rights group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights group told the AFP news agency.
Fifty-six civilians were killed on Tuesday by coalition forces, and 21 civilians were killed by the coalition on Monday. The 77 civilian deaths included at least 11 children.
The BBC reported Tuesday:
At least 56 civilians have died in US-led coalition air strikes near the Islamic State stronghold of Manbij in north Syria, opposition monitors say.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said residents had been fleeing the village of Tokhar when they were hit.
An opposition activist network said 90 had died in Tokhar and nearby Hoshriya.
There was no immediate comment from the coalition, which has been providing air support for the Kurdish-led offensive to drive IS militants out of Manbij.
On Monday, France24 reported:
Air strikes by the U.S.-led coalition killed at least 21 civilians in and around a stronghold of the Islamic State group in northern Syria on Monday, a monitor said.
At least 15 civilians were killed in raids in a northern district of Manbij while six others were killed in a village near the city, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The UN Commission on Human Rights warned Friday that 70,000 civilians were likely trapped in Manbij, where the international body believes the situation is "deteriorating dramatically as fighting continues between ISIL and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) which is being supported by airstrikes."
Before the airstrike in Tokhar on Tuesday, Airwars, a website tracking U.S.-led coalition killings of civilians in Syria, said this is the "worst ever week" for deaths caused by the coalition in the two years since the conflict started.
The U.S. has in recent months been intensifying its airstrikes in Syria, as journalist and radio host Sonali Kolhatkar wrote in May.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights, an advocacy group based in the U.S. and the U.K, reported on social media that by Tuesday evening local time the civilian death toll from the day's strikes had reportedly climbed to 65, although the rights group has yet to verify that number:
\u201cAt least 65 civilians died in #IntlCoalition shelling on Al Toukhar in #Aleppo, SNHR yet to verify it, Jul 19\u201d— Syrian Network (@Syrian Network) 1468924950
Airwars reported that nine families were among those killed by the U.S.-led coalition on Tuesday:
\u201cNine families killed in early morning alleged Coalition strikes at Tokhaz July 19, with victims buried in mass grave https://t.co/5fPFGmQF15\u201d— Airwars (@Airwars) 1468925152
Middle East Eye reports that the coalition did not respond to requests for comment on the recent civilian deaths. The news organization added:
Raed Saleh, the leader of the Syrian Civil Defence Force which conducts humanitarian rescue missions in the rebel-held areas, told Middle East Eye in June that he had confronted the U.S.-led coalition about civilian deaths in September 2014.
"Mistakes are likely to happen," Saleh said he was told at the time.
Airwars estimates that the total number of civilians killed in Syria by the U.S.-led coalition is 1,422, at minimum, to date.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Dozens of civilians, including children, were killed on Monday and Tuesday by U.S.-led airstrikes in Syria.
The strikes appeared to have been a mistake, with the civilians taken for Islamic State (IS or ISIS) militants, the U.K.-based human rights group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights group told the AFP news agency.
Fifty-six civilians were killed on Tuesday by coalition forces, and 21 civilians were killed by the coalition on Monday. The 77 civilian deaths included at least 11 children.
The BBC reported Tuesday:
At least 56 civilians have died in US-led coalition air strikes near the Islamic State stronghold of Manbij in north Syria, opposition monitors say.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said residents had been fleeing the village of Tokhar when they were hit.
An opposition activist network said 90 had died in Tokhar and nearby Hoshriya.
There was no immediate comment from the coalition, which has been providing air support for the Kurdish-led offensive to drive IS militants out of Manbij.
On Monday, France24 reported:
Air strikes by the U.S.-led coalition killed at least 21 civilians in and around a stronghold of the Islamic State group in northern Syria on Monday, a monitor said.
At least 15 civilians were killed in raids in a northern district of Manbij while six others were killed in a village near the city, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The UN Commission on Human Rights warned Friday that 70,000 civilians were likely trapped in Manbij, where the international body believes the situation is "deteriorating dramatically as fighting continues between ISIL and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) which is being supported by airstrikes."
Before the airstrike in Tokhar on Tuesday, Airwars, a website tracking U.S.-led coalition killings of civilians in Syria, said this is the "worst ever week" for deaths caused by the coalition in the two years since the conflict started.
The U.S. has in recent months been intensifying its airstrikes in Syria, as journalist and radio host Sonali Kolhatkar wrote in May.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights, an advocacy group based in the U.S. and the U.K, reported on social media that by Tuesday evening local time the civilian death toll from the day's strikes had reportedly climbed to 65, although the rights group has yet to verify that number:
\u201cAt least 65 civilians died in #IntlCoalition shelling on Al Toukhar in #Aleppo, SNHR yet to verify it, Jul 19\u201d— Syrian Network (@Syrian Network) 1468924950
Airwars reported that nine families were among those killed by the U.S.-led coalition on Tuesday:
\u201cNine families killed in early morning alleged Coalition strikes at Tokhaz July 19, with victims buried in mass grave https://t.co/5fPFGmQF15\u201d— Airwars (@Airwars) 1468925152
Middle East Eye reports that the coalition did not respond to requests for comment on the recent civilian deaths. The news organization added:
Raed Saleh, the leader of the Syrian Civil Defence Force which conducts humanitarian rescue missions in the rebel-held areas, told Middle East Eye in June that he had confronted the U.S.-led coalition about civilian deaths in September 2014.
"Mistakes are likely to happen," Saleh said he was told at the time.
Airwars estimates that the total number of civilians killed in Syria by the U.S.-led coalition is 1,422, at minimum, to date.
Dozens of civilians, including children, were killed on Monday and Tuesday by U.S.-led airstrikes in Syria.
The strikes appeared to have been a mistake, with the civilians taken for Islamic State (IS or ISIS) militants, the U.K.-based human rights group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights group told the AFP news agency.
Fifty-six civilians were killed on Tuesday by coalition forces, and 21 civilians were killed by the coalition on Monday. The 77 civilian deaths included at least 11 children.
The BBC reported Tuesday:
At least 56 civilians have died in US-led coalition air strikes near the Islamic State stronghold of Manbij in north Syria, opposition monitors say.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said residents had been fleeing the village of Tokhar when they were hit.
An opposition activist network said 90 had died in Tokhar and nearby Hoshriya.
There was no immediate comment from the coalition, which has been providing air support for the Kurdish-led offensive to drive IS militants out of Manbij.
On Monday, France24 reported:
Air strikes by the U.S.-led coalition killed at least 21 civilians in and around a stronghold of the Islamic State group in northern Syria on Monday, a monitor said.
At least 15 civilians were killed in raids in a northern district of Manbij while six others were killed in a village near the city, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The UN Commission on Human Rights warned Friday that 70,000 civilians were likely trapped in Manbij, where the international body believes the situation is "deteriorating dramatically as fighting continues between ISIL and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) which is being supported by airstrikes."
Before the airstrike in Tokhar on Tuesday, Airwars, a website tracking U.S.-led coalition killings of civilians in Syria, said this is the "worst ever week" for deaths caused by the coalition in the two years since the conflict started.
The U.S. has in recent months been intensifying its airstrikes in Syria, as journalist and radio host Sonali Kolhatkar wrote in May.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights, an advocacy group based in the U.S. and the U.K, reported on social media that by Tuesday evening local time the civilian death toll from the day's strikes had reportedly climbed to 65, although the rights group has yet to verify that number:
\u201cAt least 65 civilians died in #IntlCoalition shelling on Al Toukhar in #Aleppo, SNHR yet to verify it, Jul 19\u201d— Syrian Network (@Syrian Network) 1468924950
Airwars reported that nine families were among those killed by the U.S.-led coalition on Tuesday:
\u201cNine families killed in early morning alleged Coalition strikes at Tokhaz July 19, with victims buried in mass grave https://t.co/5fPFGmQF15\u201d— Airwars (@Airwars) 1468925152
Middle East Eye reports that the coalition did not respond to requests for comment on the recent civilian deaths. The news organization added:
Raed Saleh, the leader of the Syrian Civil Defence Force which conducts humanitarian rescue missions in the rebel-held areas, told Middle East Eye in June that he had confronted the U.S.-led coalition about civilian deaths in September 2014.
"Mistakes are likely to happen," Saleh said he was told at the time.
Airwars estimates that the total number of civilians killed in Syria by the U.S.-led coalition is 1,422, at minimum, to date.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.