Amnesty International asked for an independent investigation to investigate possible war crimes of the US-led coalition forces attacks on Rakka, north of Syria.

Amnesty International has written to defense officials in the USA, UK, and France – whose forces carried out the air strikes over Raqqa – seeking additional information about these cases and about other attacks. The organization asked about Coalition tactics, specific means and methods of attack, choice of targets, and precautions taken in planning and execution of attacks and about any investigations carried out so far.  

Recalling that the US troops were responsible for more than 90 percent of the escapes, Amnesty International said the PKK/YPG supported the coalition forces' air strikes.

Amnesty International has reported that hundreds of civilians were killed and thousands of civilians were wounded in these attacks on the US front. It emphasized that the attacks of the coalition forces were disproportionate and that there was evidence that the civilians were not being minded, indicating that war crimes might have been committed in Raqqa.

Amnesty International researchers traveled to Raqqa in February 2018 and spent two weeks visiting 42 locations of strikes and interviewing 112 witnesses and survivors. The organization analyzed satellite imagery and reviewed other publicly available material.

ILKHA