Airstrikes by the international anti-ISIS coalition on villages east of Deir Ezzor killed at least 12 civilians and forced 130 families to flee towards the Syrian Al-Badia Desert.
Local activists said that jets of the international anti-ISIS coalition on Thursday bombed the ISIS-held village of Al-Bagouz, killing 12 civilians, including three women.
The airstrikes also forced about 130 families to flee the villages of Sha’afa, Al-Kashmah, and Al-Baqa’an east of Deir Ezzor towards the Badia Desert amid preparations by militias of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) for a ground attack to drive ISIS out of the area.
The Syrian Coalition has repeatedly condemned attacks by the international anti-ISIS coalition and SDF militia against civilians in eastern Syria and called for serious investigation into the circumstances of such crimes to hold those responsible accountable.
According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), at least 11 civilians were killed in airstrikes by the international anti-ISIS coalition on the provinces of Deir Ezzor and Hasakah in the months of March and April. The Network said it had recorded a marked increase in the number of massacres caused by attacks by the international anti-ISIS coalition and SDF militia since late 2016. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department + Smart News Network)
