U.S.-led coalition airstrikes on Raqqa city killed ta least 12 civilians, including children, on Thursday, local activists said as the Kurdish-led forces press more gains against the Islamic State.
The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces advanced in al-Dereiya and al-Morour districts on Thursday after taking strategic al-Mansour neighborhood during the week.
The top United Nations human rights official said on Thursday that civilians caught up in the battle of Raqqa are paying an “unacceptable price” and attacking forces may be contravening international law with their intense air strikes, according to Reuters.
A U.S.-led coalition is seeking to oust Islamic State from Raqqa, while Syrian government forces, backed by the Russian air force and Iran-backed militias are also advancing on the city.
Some 20,000 civilians are trapped in Raqqa where the jihadist fighters are holding some of them as human shields, the world body says.
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein said that his office had documented 151 civilian deaths in six incidents alone in August, due to airstrikes and ground-based attacks.
