Scores of civilians have been killed by US airstrikes in eastern Syria, according to a leading monitor of the conflict.
Airwars assessed from local reports that, between November 12 and November 24, that between 118 and 225 civilians were slain in 20 incidents in Deir ez-Zor Province. Of the dead, between 27 and 51 were children and from 16 to 29 were women.
At least 44 and up to 104 civilians were wounded.
The US has been supporting the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in their offensive to capture the last remaining major Islamic State pocket in eastern Syria, the Hajin area near the Iraqi border.
At least 40 people were reportedly killed in strikes on Hajin on November 17.
Syria Daily, Nov 18: Claims — US Airstrikes Kill 40+ in East
Since Wednesday, strikes have focused on the town of al-Shafa, including on a hospital, prison, and houses used by ISIS fighters.
The SDF have been pursuing the offensive since mid-October. They seized the town of Sousah in late October but were pushed back by an Islamic State counter-attack. The campaign was briefly halted by Turkish airstrikes on the positions of the Kurdish YPG militia, the leading group in the SDF.
Airwars reported 481 US-led coalition strikes in October. It was the highest monthly total since the SDF completed the capture of Raqqa, the Islamic State’s central position in Syria, in October 2017.
The US-led coalition blamed fire from other combatants for some of the casualties: “There were 106 additional strikes…that did not originate from Coalition or partner forces.”
