Syrian Air Strikes on IS 'Capital' Kill 36 Civilians

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

A string of Syrian regime air strikes on the Islamic State group's self-proclaimed capital Raqa on Tuesday killed at least 63 people, more than half of them civilians, a monitor said.

The air strikes were the deadliest by President Bashar al-Assad's air force against Raqa since the Sunni extremist IS seized control of the city last year.

"Among the 63 killed were at least 36 civilians," said Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

"There were also 20 unidentified victims who could be civilians or jihadists, as well as the disfigured remains of at least seven other people," he said.

The director of the Britain-based monitoring group said previously that "most of the casualties were caused by two consecutive air strikes" on Raqa's main industrial zone.

"The first strike came, residents rushed to rescue the wounded, and then the second raid took place," Abdel Rahman, whose group relies on a network of sources on the ground in Syria for its information, told AFP.

Amateur video footage distributed by activists in Raqa showed several bloodied bodies laid out on a street near an apparent bombing site, as an ambulance rushed to the scene.

Aid workers in red overalls bearing the Red Crescent symbol could be seen placing the corpses into white body bags.

Activists from the city meanwhile denounced the raids as a "massacre".

The Islamic State organisation emerged in Syria's war in spring 2013.

It took over Raqa, the only provincial capital to fall from government control since the outbreak of a 2011 revolt, and turned it into its bastion.

Most of the city's civil society activists, as well as rebel fighters who expelled Assad's troops, have either been killed, kidnapped or forced to flee for other parts of Syria or neighboring Turkey.

For many months, Assad's regime only rarely targeted Raqa city, apparently reserving most of its firepower for areas under rebel control.

But late this summer, the government intensified its air strikes against IS positions in northern and eastern Syria.

On September 6, 53 people were killed in air raids on Raqa, among them at least 31 civilians, according to the Observatory.

The U.S.-led military coalition that has been carrying out air strikes against IS in Iraq and Syria has also targeted the jihadist group in Raqa.

Activists say Raqa's residents fear the government's strikes far more than those of the coalition because most of the casualties from the regime's attacks have been civilians.

Strategically located on the river Euphrates near the border with Turkey, Raqa had a pre-war population of about 220,000 but it is now home to 300,000-350,000 people, including many displaced by the conflict, according to the Observatory.

Since the jihadists first started moving into the city, they have been gradually imposing a brutal yet highly-organised system with all the trappings of a state, experts say.

Elsewhere in Syria, IS members stoned to death two men in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor on Tuesday after claiming they were gay, the Observatory said.

And in the central province of Homs the jihadists beheaded a member of the minority Ismaili community, accusing him of "apostasy," said the monitoring group.

Comments 28
Thumb megahabib 25 November 2014, 18:45

When Syria bombs Daash, people whine about it. When they don't attack Daash, they whine that Syria is their ally. You can't have it both ways.

Thumb Mystic 25 November 2014, 19:07

And on that note, we didn't hear anyone complain about Americas and "Israels countless attacks on civilians. The U.S killed dozens of civilians in Syria aswell.

Thumb megahabib 25 November 2014, 19:11

When America bombs them, you cheer. Yeah, we get it, double standards.

Thumb Mystic 25 November 2014, 19:31

Barrel bombs texas? The so called barrel bombs you mention, also gets fired from takfiri mortars everyday on residential government held areas.

No excuse, America is the biggest killer of civilians, not only in Syria, do i have to list all the countries?

Thumb Tony.Farris 25 November 2014, 20:24

Without the USA, half of the world civilians will die from hunger. Stop your PS propaganda about America.

Thumb Mystic 25 November 2014, 20:41

Without the U.S, the world would be free from terror, new world orders, and the CIA. The billions of people killed by the U.S would still be living, caring on with their lives and families.

Thumb Tony.Farris 25 November 2014, 21:05

@Musty boy, your brain can't handle anymore bytes, so take a brake and smoke some hizbcocaine hash.

Thumb megahabib 25 November 2014, 21:08

Even Naharnet wrote that the US has killed dozens of civilians in Syria, retards.

Thumb Mystic 25 November 2014, 21:10

Hey @Mcdonalds, you should go feed them with your cheeseburgers once in a while, they will go hungry in bed.

Thumb Mystic 25 November 2014, 21:23

Said the nutjob, with "Cyper Hezbos" on his mind.

They have bigger types of mortars and howitzers, than 120mm
Look it up on google, and I encourage every reader to do the same. The Al Nusra front & ISIS has lots of heavy weaponry.

Thumb Mystic 25 November 2014, 21:25

texas pansy, your beloved American airstrikes are doing so "well"

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/23/us-air-strikes-syra-driving-anti-assad-groups-support-isis

Thumb Mystic 25 November 2014, 21:26

Note, all these articles are from Western websites, so I dare you say this is Iranian or Hezbollah propaganda.

Thumb Mystic 25 November 2014, 21:42

Republicans and Democrats, never made any difference. Still the same killers, same army, same commanders. Politicians sitting around, doesn't have any say on the matter. It is the Israeli council, you Americans listen to.

Bush administration feared the resistance for a reason, and he was indeed the Republican "hero" you all cheered. All i can say is, bring it on.

It is all being prepared for.

Thumb Tony.Farris 26 November 2014, 05:56

@FT do you believe every website? Ebola was discovered in 1976 by a Belgian teams.
https://web.stanford.edu/group/virus/filo/history.html

Thumb Tony.Farris 26 November 2014, 06:00

Also FT I remember Franjeyeh was president when I was living in Beirut, does that answer your silly question?

Thumb Tony.Farris 26 November 2014, 06:58

@Texas, Cocaine sniffer author like him. LOL

Thumb Mystic 26 November 2014, 08:19

You americans shoyld watch out in your own country, the blacks are having an uprising right this minute, soon the hispanics will follow, I see a new civil war in the U.Sæ, in the foreseeble future.

Thumb freedomarch 25 November 2014, 20:19

PEOPLE. were the intended in the first place.

Thumb freedomarch 25 November 2014, 20:42

As a Canaian Lebanese I say God Bless The USA, stop applying to come here if you show such emotions. Your propaganda is pure rev . guard infused.

Thumb freedomarch 25 November 2014, 20:43

Canadian*

Thumb freedomarch 25 November 2014, 20:48

@ MY Stick: what you say have nothing to do with poor lebanese suffering from iranian rev guards intervention in our area. Bad western administration's does not mean your Hizbola, Iran and Syria are ok to keep doing the killings.

Thumb freedomarch 25 November 2014, 20:24

@ MY Stick: everytime someone brinhs an atrocity commited by your clan, assad or GhizEbla you bring examples from the west, either what you are ding is Ok Legit fine Acceptable... (so we can prepare doing the same to your peole ) or it is bad, unacceptable, unjustly, barbarric, horrific and people doing it should not be rewarded by following supporting of spoken in favor off.

Thumb freedomarch 25 November 2014, 20:36

Musty the Lusty ... meaw

Thumb freedomarch 25 November 2014, 20:24

*brings

Thumb megahabib 25 November 2014, 21:10

Lol, where did all these M14 clones come from all of a sudden?

Thumb Tony.Farris 25 November 2014, 22:25

megaASSad, they all here reading your stupid comments.

Thumb megahabib 26 November 2014, 00:22

SOHR counts anyone who wasn't previously in the Syrian army as a "civilian".

Missing coolmec 26 November 2014, 03:52

Pajama boy
Mlres tous nos problemes personne et je repete personne ne pourra nous enlever notre liberte d'expression. Mais ce qu'on devrait faire c'est de se debarasser de nos politiciens corrumpus se debarasser de M8 et M14 afin de restaurer notre democratie affaiblie