World
23:22, 22-Aug-2017
US-led airstrikes kill 78 civilians in Raqqa
["china"]
Share
Copied
The US-led coalition has killed 78 civilians in the Syrian city of Raqqa on Tuesday, state news agency SANA reported.
The airstrikes targeted residential areas in Raqqa, the latest in a string of intensified air raids the US-led coalition has been carrying out against ISIL-held areas in Raqqa.
Tens of civilians are being killed on daily basis as a result of the attacks, with the Syrian state media reporting civilian casualties daily.
The US has been heavily backing the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in their push to capture Raqqa from ISIL.
The heavy support enabled the SDF to capture 55 percent of the city following a two-month battle.
Pushed by the daily reports of civilian casualties, the Syrian government condemned the US-led coalition and its "crimes" in Raqqa, urging the UN to dissolve the coalition.
While the SDF is advancing inside Raqqa, the Syrian army and tribal forces are advancing against the extremists in the countryside of Raqqa, getting close to the last ISIL-held city in eastern Raqqa countryside.
The army forces and allied troops have already clawed back the western and southern countryside of Raqqa.
Source(s): Xinhua News Agency