Syrian activists have called for widespread protests after dozens of civilians were reportedly killed in US-led coalition air strikes near a northern town held by the so-called Islamic State group.
Children were among at least 56 civilians killed Tuesday in raids by coalition warplanes as they fled the village of Al-Tukhar near the key IS stronghold of Manbij, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Facebook pages managed by Syrian activists urged people around the world to take to the streets to protest the deaths under the banner "Manbij is being exterminated".
"We ask all Syrians, whatever their affiliations or sects, and all free people of the world and especially the people of Manbij to stand in solidarity with our devastated city on Sunday, July 24," wrote one page that publishes local news about Manbij.
It said it was calling for demonstrations in reaction to "the massacres carried out by coalition warplanes, with the latest... in Al-Tukhar".
The village lies 14km north of Manbij, which has been repeatedly targeted by coalition raids in support of an offensive to wrest the town from IS control.
Activists on the "Manbij News" page called for protests in several Turkish cities including Istanbul and Gaziantep.
Another Manbij-affiliated page posted photographs of demonstrators gathering yesterday in the rebel-held town of Azaz, further west, to condemn the raids.
Asked about the Al-Tukhar raids, the US-led coalition said it had recently "conducted air strikes near Manbij" and was looking into the reports of civilian casualties.
The raids also drew condemnation from the UN's children agency, which said that "more than 20 children were reportedly killed" in the raids on Al-Tukhar.
"Such horrific incidents confront parties to this conflict with their shared responsibility to respect international humanitarian laws that protect children in war," said UNICEF's Syria representative, Hanaa Singer.
"No matter where they are in Syria or under whose control they live - absolutely nothing justifies attacks on children."
Meanwhile, US-backed Syrian fighters gave IS fighters 48 hours to leave their stronghold of Manbij in an effort to "protect civilian lives" there.
"This initiative is the last remaining chance for besieged members of Daesh (IS) to leave the town," said the Manbij Military Council, part of the Syrian Democratic Forces alliance.
[AFP /rte.ie]
21/7/16
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Carter was speaking to reporters after a meeting with defense ministers of around 30 countries on the campaign to defeat Islamic State. Some of those countries, Carter added, had indicated their intent to contribute more to the campaign, which is seeking to wrest away the militant group's control of parts of Iraq and Syria.
[reuters.com]
20/7/16
Children were among at least 56 civilians killed Tuesday in raids by coalition warplanes as they fled the village of Al-Tukhar near the key IS stronghold of Manbij, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Facebook pages managed by Syrian activists urged people around the world to take to the streets to protest the deaths under the banner "Manbij is being exterminated".
"We ask all Syrians, whatever their affiliations or sects, and all free people of the world and especially the people of Manbij to stand in solidarity with our devastated city on Sunday, July 24," wrote one page that publishes local news about Manbij.
It said it was calling for demonstrations in reaction to "the massacres carried out by coalition warplanes, with the latest... in Al-Tukhar".
The village lies 14km north of Manbij, which has been repeatedly targeted by coalition raids in support of an offensive to wrest the town from IS control.
Activists on the "Manbij News" page called for protests in several Turkish cities including Istanbul and Gaziantep.
Another Manbij-affiliated page posted photographs of demonstrators gathering yesterday in the rebel-held town of Azaz, further west, to condemn the raids.
Asked about the Al-Tukhar raids, the US-led coalition said it had recently "conducted air strikes near Manbij" and was looking into the reports of civilian casualties.
The raids also drew condemnation from the UN's children agency, which said that "more than 20 children were reportedly killed" in the raids on Al-Tukhar.
"Such horrific incidents confront parties to this conflict with their shared responsibility to respect international humanitarian laws that protect children in war," said UNICEF's Syria representative, Hanaa Singer.
"No matter where they are in Syria or under whose control they live - absolutely nothing justifies attacks on children."
Meanwhile, US-backed Syrian fighters gave IS fighters 48 hours to leave their stronghold of Manbij in an effort to "protect civilian lives" there.
"This initiative is the last remaining chance for besieged members of Daesh (IS) to leave the town," said the Manbij Military Council, part of the Syrian Democratic Forces alliance.
[AFP /rte.ie]
21/7/16
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Related:
Syria calls on UN to condemn French aggression on civilians in north of Aleppo (More than 120 civilians by mistake)
French warplanes - US-Led Bombings in Syria Kill 77 Civilians, Including Many Children. "It was by mistake."
- U.S. defense chief says coalition to probe report of civilian deaths in Syria...
Carter was speaking to reporters after a meeting with defense ministers of around 30 countries on the campaign to defeat Islamic State. Some of those countries, Carter added, had indicated their intent to contribute more to the campaign, which is seeking to wrest away the militant group's control of parts of Iraq and Syria.
[reuters.com]
20/7/16
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The head of the opposition Syrian National Coalition called for a suspension of the U.S.-led air campaign against Islamic State in Syria while reports of dozens of civilian deaths from air strikes around the northern city of Manbij are investigated...
ReplyDeleteThe Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 56 civilians were killed in air strikes north of Manbij on Tuesday, a day after it said 21 civilians were killed in a northern district of the besieged Islamic State-held city.
SNC president Anas al-Abdah said the strikes should be halted while the incidents were investigated, according to a statement issued late on Wednesday, and warned that the killing of civilians by the U.S.-led air campaign would “prove to be a recruitment tool for terrorist organisations”.
“It is essential that such investigation not only result in revised rules of procedure for future operations, but also inform accountability for those responsible for such major violations,” Abdah wrote in a letter to foreign ministers of countries in the anti-Islamic State alliance.
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Wednesday the U.S.-led force would look into the reports of civilian casualties around Manbij.
The Observatory said the dead from Tuesday’s strike included 11 children. Pictures on social media purporting to be from the scene showed dust-covered corpses of two young children next to rubble.
Syria’s foreign ministry said Tuesday’s air strike, which hit the village of Toukhan north of Manbij, was carried out by French forces, while Monday’s strike was by U.S. jets.....REUTERS
US pledges openness on Syria civilian casualties...
ReplyDeleteDefense Secretary Ashton Carter on Wednesday pledged openness on allied accountability a day after dozens of civilians were killed in raids near an IS-held town in Syria.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Tuesday that children were among at least 56 civilians killed in strikes by the coalition as they fled Al-Tukhar in Aleppo province, near the key ISIS stronghold of Manbij.
"We will conduct an investigation on any possible civilian casualties in this matter, as we always do, and we'll be transparent about that," Carter told a briefing at this air base outside Washington.
General Joe Votel, head of Centcom said allies would "continue to do all we can to protect civilians from harm," at the same news conference.
"It is an extraordinarily dynamic situation up around Manbij right now, as we talked about a little bit earlier."....REUTERS
US-backed Syrian fighters on Thursday gave Islamic State group jihadists 48 hours to leave their stronghold of Manbij in an effort to "protect civilian lives" there...
ReplyDelete"This initiative is the last remaining chance for besieged members of Daesh (IS) to leave the town," said the Manbij Military Council, part of the Syrian Democratic Forces alliance.
The warning came two days after strikes launched by the US-led coalition fighting IS reportedly killed at least 56 civilians fleeing a town near Manbij.
AFP
21/7/16