Pentagon: Army did not limit civilian casualties in Raqqa recapture

by

The U.S. military could have done more to alleviate the suffering of civilians during the war to retake Raqqa that led to the fall of Islamic State (IS) in 2017, according to a report commissioned by the Pentagon to compile a research center.

At the end of this armed conflict that lasted almost five months with the aim of liberating this large Syrian city from the hands of the jihadists of the Islamic State, “60 to 80% of the city was uninhabited” and the bitterness of the population turned against the liberators, he underlines. this report by the RAND Corporation research center.

The so-called “targeted” artillery shells and artillery fire by US military coalition forces in Raqqa caused numerous civilian casualties between June 6 and October 30, 2017: between 744 and 1,600, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Airwars location, according to the report.

But the Battle of Raka also caused the destruction of many buildings and infrastructure, which “weakened the long-term interests of the HOA” in the region, the 130-page document adds.

According to UN figures cited by RAND Corporation, 11,000 buildings were destroyed or damaged between February and October 2017, including 8 hospitals, 29 mosques, more than 40 schools, five universities and the city’s water supply system.

The U.S. military, which fired 95 percent of its airstrikes and 100 percent of its artillery at the Battle of Raqqa, did not commit war crimes during the fighting as it sought to comply with international civilian protection laws in time of war. , but “could have done better,” according to RAND.

The decision to encircle the city to “exterminate the ISIS”, as announced by US military officials at the time, prevented the opening of humanitarian corridors for civilians and made Islamic State jihadists keep the population as a human shield in the densest, densest the exhibition.

Instead of focusing its operations on airstrikes to save the lives of its soldiers, the U.S. military should also be prepared to send more troops to the field to become more aware of the situation and the danger situation, according to the RAND.

In addition, the military hierarchy must now prepare its operations bearing in mind that the suffering of civilians has a strategic cost, the report concludes.

“Raqqa has suffered the most infrastructure damage per square kilometer than any other city in Syria,” the report said.

“The level of disaster at the resorts and the lack of US support for the reconstruction of Raqqa have led many residents to slander the way their city was liberated.”

Follow Skai.gr on Google News
and be the first to know all the news

You May Also Like

Recommended for you