The head of the opposition Syrian National Coalition is calling for a suspension of the US -led air campaign against the Islamic State group in Syria following a series of deadly strikes Tuesday around Manbij which killed dozens of civilians, according to locals.
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The Islamic State group also said that USA strikes in the area had caused civilian casualties, claiming that 104 civilians had been killed, according to the militant group’s Amaq news agency.
The death toll from the air strikes, which coincided with a wide ground offensive by the extremists against SDF fighters, ranged between 56 and 200.
The Observatory states that 104 civilians have been killed in Manbij and the surrounding area since the US -led air strike campaign began at the end of May.
No matter where they are in Syria or under whose control they live – absolutely nothing justifies attacks on children.
Syria’s main opposition body, the High Negotiations Committee, criticized both the SDF and the coalition, which it blamed for what it said were hundreds of civilian deaths around Manbij.
Several human rights group said that airstrikes this week killed dozens of people, pushing the death toll past 100.
Fifty-six civilians were killed on Tuesday by coalition forces, and 21 civilians were killed by the coalition on Monday.
The incident comes after another report of a strike killing “a woman with four of her children and an old man” in a separate part of the same city on Sunday, the Observatory said.
A young Syrian stands looking at the rubble of a collapsed building as rescuers look for victims the following a reported air strike on the rebel-held neighbourhood of Sakhur in the northern city of Aleppo on July 19, 2016.
It follows an intense backlash over the reported deaths on July 19 of at least 56 civilians, including children, in USA -led air strikes while fleeing the ISIL-held village of Al-Tukhar near Manbij.
There were conflicting reports about what nations involved in the US-led coalition were involved in the attacks, though France was also repeatedly mentioned. There was no immediate comment from Washington. The group also reported on the US air strikes near Manbij and estimated the number of civilian deaths to be at least 95.
The photographs appeared genuine and corresponded to other Associated Press reporting of the events depicted.
Al-Hussein said that civilians run the risk of getting “killed if they leave their homes or attempt to flee”.
Amnesty International states that in the majority of cases where civilian deaths and casualties have been properly and credibly reported that the USA -led coalition “dismissed” the allegations.
‘Anyone responsible for violations of global humanitarian law must be brought to justice and victims and their families should receive full reparation, ‘ she said.
Earlier in the day, the monitor had reported additional US-led air strikes and it said the SDF had advanced inside the town overnight.
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The U.S. military statement said “all measures” are taken to “avoid or minimize civilian casualties or collateral damage”.
