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Demand Accountability for the Destruction in Raqqa

Last year, the US-led Coalition killed entire families in Raqqa, a city in the North East of Syria. One year after the battle ended, there is still no accountability for these deaths, nor justice for the victims.

In June 2017, the Coalition — including the US, France and UK — launched a military operation to oust the armed group calling itself the Islamic State (IS) from its so called “capital”.

But instead of just targeting IS, they caused the deaths of hundreds and injury of thousands of civilians, and destroyed close to 80% of the city.

Our researchers visited Raqqa several times, and reported a level of destruction beyond anything they have seen in decades of covering the impact of wars all over the world. Homes, private and public buildings and infrastructure were reduced to rubble, or damaged beyond repair.

The US Department of Defense wrote us to make clear that it accepts no liability for the civilian casualties it caused. There are no plans to compensate survivors, and we were denied details about the circumstances of the deadly airstrikes.

You can demand truth and justice for the hundreds of victims and their loved ones, and make sure their lives are not forgotten.

Demand the US-led Coalition recognize the scale of civilian lives lost in Raqqa, properly investigate strikes that killed civilians, publish all their findings, and provide reparation for the victims.

By insisting on justice for the civilians killed in Raqqa, we can help prevent similar killings in the future.

⬇ Make Your Voice Heard ⬇

Secretary Austin

Lloyd

Austin

Department of Defense

Dear Secretary Mattis,

I am writing about the chilling fact of hundreds of civilian lives lost in Syria’s city of Raqqa as a result of airstrikes carried out by the US, British and French forces during the US-led Coalition operation against the Islamic State (IS) armed group between June and October 2017.

I am deeply concerned and moved by this news, and I call on the U.S-led Coalition to ensure that:

·       Coalition airstrikes which caused civilian casualties in Raqqa are investigated in a timely manner and that the details concerning these strikes are published, including dates, times, locations, weapons used and intended targets;
·       Where investigations reveal unlawfulness, member states hold the responsible parties accountable;
·       Mistakes and the scale of the loss of civilian lives and destruction of property resulting from the US-led Coalition strikes on Raqqa is publicly acknowledged;
·       Reparation, including compensation, is provided to victims and their families.

Entire families were devastated  by US-led Coalition strikes on Raqqa. These are civilians and families just like ours; they deserve answers, justice, and reparation.
 
Yours sincerely

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