Military Trials, the stronghold of the “Islamic state” recapture, claim many victims among the civilian population. Densely populated cities turn into battle zones.
There is growing international criticism of the U.S.-led Offensive on raqqa, the de facto capital of the terrorist organization “Islamic state”. A few days ago, the UN announced investigators, the allegations of war crimes to pursue, you have to pay languages of the “shockingly high casualties among civilians,” by air attacks of the Anti-IS coalition.
“Civilians are not involved in the Fighting, said to be the targets of most of the warring parties,” Sergio Pinheiro, the head of the UN fact-finding mission in Syria on Wednesday in a statement. The Commission is investigating allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Syrian civil war.
Mass Exodus expected
The IS had brought Rakka in January 2014, in his violence, in the year in which he conquered in Syria and Iraq, a whole series of areas. The IS has made, particularly the unstable situation in Syria to its advantage, where a six-year-old conflict with the participation of global super has left behind powers, regional actors and terrorist organizations, more than 300,000 Dead and millions of Displaced persons.
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IS-stronghold Rakka isolated
On 6. In June, the U.S. launched the Japanese supported the Alliance, the Syrian democratic forces, SDF, a large-scale Offensive to recapture of Rakka. The Kurdish-led Alliance had circled over a period of seven months, the city and the Offensive prepared. Meanwhile, it has taken over areas in the North, East and West of the city.
UN officials have already warned of the consequences of the Operation, including that it would probably be a mass Exodus of civilians. According to the UN, an estimated of 160,000 civilians in Rakkaverblieben. “The necessary fight against terrorism must not be at the expense of the civilians who are involuntarily in areas of the IS dominated,” said Pinheiro in his statement.
Abdalaziz Alhamza, co-founder of the organization Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently (raqqa is being silently slaughtered), told Deutsche Welle, the United States as the main supporters of the SDF would have to do more for civilians who were displaced by the fighting. In particular, the US had to act-air force more careful in attacks on areas where civilians live. Alhamza also called on American politicians and military representatives, more pressure on the SDF to exercise, to note the level of protection to the civilian population, to prevent human rights violations during the military operations. “When they started their fight against the IS in Syria and Iraq and, especially, to Rakka, you were very careful,” says Alhamza, “but in recent times, the attacks go down indiscriminately on the city.”
The Syrian activist Abdalaziz Alhamza warns: The civilian population suffers more and more
Modified Rules Of Engagement?
Since may, independent observers point to an increase in the number of civilian casualties in the course of the Rakka-Offensive. “May this year, was for civilians, the second-deadliest month in the Iraq and Syria since the beginning of the air attacks of the Anti-IS coalition in August 2014,” reads the online platform “Airwars”, mainly by journalists-driven Initiative, which monitored the conflicts in Syria and Iraq. “The number of air strikes, reached this month, a record, and, in consequence, the civilian population, which is located between the fronts came in a more difficult situation.”
“Airwars” also points out that since February is hardly a connection between the number of air attacks and the number of civilians killed. “This could mean that the increase in the numbers of victims due to air attacks by the Anti-IS coalition is the result of secretly changing the rules, or a modified military action in the area of combat means”, “Airwars”.
Last week, it was said in the media in the U.S. reports, the military have doubled the number of its investigators, the civilian casualties are investigating. Organisations striving for the protection of the civilian population in conflict-affected areas, have welcomed careful. “To investigate reports of civilian casualties due to attacks by the Alliance, is a good first step, but much better would be to avoid such victims from the outset,” says Federico Borello of the organization Center for Civilians in Conflict (center for civilians in conflict), with headquarters in Washington. “The United States must protect the civilian population in their operations and show the world that every human life counts, even if you are against those fighting to see it quite differently,” says Borello.
The city as a battle zone: to be destroyed in Aleppo
Urban Warfare
In the Wake of a worldwide increasing urbanization, densely populated cities in the Middle East and elsewhere more and more often the scene of high losses among the civilian population will be if these cities are targets of military clashes. “The world is urbanized, and urban, the conflicts materialize,” – said in a recent report of the International Committee of the Red cross. “Inner cities and residential areas, battle fields and front lines of our century. Conflicts are fought with weapons designed for open battlefields, and strengthened their power of destruction in the densely populated cities,” the red cross report.
Anyone who believes that the scale of death and destruction that was associated with the recapture of Mosul in Iraq, and with the months-long siege of Aleppo in Syria, will be spared Rakka, closes the experience of urban warfare in the 21st century. Century. “Ultimately, the only way to end the Suffering of the civilian population, to end this war,” said UN investigators Pinheiro. But still this conflict to an end is not in sight.