Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 6 June 2018

Rights group says US-led coalition destroyed Syrian city

By PHILIP ISSA June and October, while
BEIRUT (AP) — An saying it is still investigating
international human open cases. Ryan, the
rights group on Tuesday coalition spokesman could
accused the U.S. and not say whether officials
its allies of showing little were interviewing relatives
regard for civilians' lives of the deceased as part of
while attacking the Syrian their investigations.
city that was once the de- Amnesty International's
facto capital of the Islamic report says hundreds of
State extremist group, an civilians were killed, while
allegation denied by the the Airwars monitoring
American military. group says it has evidence
Amnesty International said of 1,400 fatalities.
the U.S.-led coalition's 2017 Amnesty investigators
assault on Raqqa killed called on the coalition to
hundreds of civilians and release strike data and
reduced sections of the details on the decision-
city to rubble. making process behind
Researchers for Amnesty target selection. They said
interviewed more than the coalition rebuffed
100 residents and visited requests for information.
42 coalition targets in the "It doesn't matter how
city in a two-week period precise your strikes are.
in February. They published In this April 5, 2018 file photo, rubble of buildings line a street that was damaged during fighting They are only as precise
their findings in a report between U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces fighters and Islamic State militants, in Raqqa, as the information behind
titled "War of Annihilation," Syria. them, and if the information
in a reference to the Associated Press isn't right you're going to
language used by U.S. shoot at the wrong things,"
Defense Secretary Jim another spokesman for tactics like artillery and visited in April, it found Walsby said, adding that
Mattis in the lead-up to the the coalition, accused airstrikes, then civilians are Raqqa in ruins and its a thorough investigation
campaign. Amnesty of a "failure to very likely to pay the price, streets smelling of rotting could build a case for a
"When so many civilians are check the public record and that appears to be bodies. Civil workers had war crimes trial.
killed in attack after attack, and get facts straight." what happened in Raqqa," pulled nearly 500 corpses The State Department
something is clearly wrong," Speaking to reporters he said. from the rubble and were said in a release that the
said Donatella Rovera, one at the Pentagon by The battle for Raqqa, still finding more six months coalition applies rigorous
of the researchers who videoconference from once a city of 200,000 after the fighting. standards to its targeting
visited the city. Baghdad, Veale disputed people, played out over Residents complained that process.
U.S. Army Col. Sean Ryan, what he said was the four harrowing months in the coalition bombing It "has been transparent
spokesman for the coalition, group's assertion that the 2017, with the coalition was indiscriminate and about its process for
called the assertions coalition had violated playing a supporting role demanded compensation. conducting strikes and
"grossly inaccurate." He international law. as the Kurdish-led Syrian According to the Raqqa assessing any allegations of
said the coalition and allied "In other words, they are Democratic Forces fought Civil Council, which took civilian casualties that may
Syrian forces organized literally judging us guilty until street by street. over the administration have resulted from those
safe passages for residents proven innocent," he said. The coalition unleashed of the city, 65 percent strikes," it said.
to flee, but IS militants "That's a bold rhetorical wave after wave of of homes had been Ryan said the coalition
trapped them inside to use move by an organization airstrikes and shell fire until destroyed. was never contacted by
as human shields. that fails to check the the last of the militants left IS militants booby-trapped Amnesty.
"When you have an enemy public record or consult the Raqqa in October 2017. the city, leaving streets and The coalition maintains
that uses noncombatants accused." Command Sgt. John homes too dangerous for that it relied on precision
as collateral damage, it's Benjamin Walsby, another Wayne Troxell of the U.S. immediate reoccupation. weapons and selected
very difficult when you investigator on the Amnesty Army said in January that In its monthly casualty targets with the best
fight an enemy like that team, said the coalition U.S. Marines had fired reports, the coalition information available and
to completely avoid any should have adjusted its 30,000 artillery shells on the has acknowledged that it did everything it
casualties," Ryan said. strategy. city. responsibility for 32 civilian could to minimize civilian
Army Col. Thomas Veale, "If you rely on long-range When The Associated Press deaths in Raqqa between casualties.q