Airstrike in Syria kills "dozens of civilians"

[Chris0nllyn]

An airstrike by the US-led coalition against Islamic State on a school west of the Syrian city of Raqqa has killed at least 33 people, many of whom had fled nearby fighting, sparking further concerns that new rules of engagements may be causing an increase in civilian casualties.

The attack follows a separate US strike on a mosque complex in the north-west of the country last Saturday that killed at least 52 people. The incident triggered fears that a White House-ordered review of rules governing the use of drones had already given military planners more flexibility on ordering strikes.

Over the past eight months, there have been four cases in which US planes or drones have been blamed for mass civilian casualties in Syria. The first strike occurred last July near the town of Manbij, which, at the time, was being recaptured from Isis. Up to 150 civilians are thought to have died in the attack, the single deadliest strike since late 2014.

Since then, up to 3,500 civilians have been killed in the north of the country by a Russian and Syrian air campaign.

The US has conducted nearly 3,000 airstrikes against Isis targets in northern Syria, with thousands more in Iraq in support of national forces.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/22/dozens-dead-in-us-led-syria-airstrike-al-mansoura