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Dozens dead after US-led airstrike on Islamic State stronghold in Syria | |
(35 minutes later) | |
At least 33 people have been killed in a US-led coalition strike on a school used as a centre for displaced people near a jihadi-held town in Syria, a monitor said. | |
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strike south of al-Mansoura, a town held by Islamic State in the northern province of Raqqa, took place in the early hours of Tuesday. | |
Top officials from the 68-nation alliance fighting Isis are to meet in Washington on Wednesday to hear more about Donald Trump’s plan to destroy the jihadis’ remaining strongholds in Iraq and Syria. | Top officials from the 68-nation alliance fighting Isis are to meet in Washington on Wednesday to hear more about Donald Trump’s plan to destroy the jihadis’ remaining strongholds in Iraq and Syria. |
The US-led coalition has been bombing Isis since 2014 and is backing a major offensive to defeat the group in Raqqa city, the Syrian heart of the group’s “Islamic caliphate”. | |
The school turned shelter hit on Tuesday morning lies about 20 miles (30km) west of Raqqa. | |
“We can now confirm that 33 people were killed, and they were displaced civilians from Raqqa, Aleppo and Homs,” said the head of the observatory, Rami Abdel Rahman. | |
“They’re still pulling bodies out of the rubble until now. Only two people were pulled out alive.” | |
The Britain-based monitor – which relies on a network of sources inside Syria for its information – says it determines what planes carried out raids according to their type, location, flight patterns and the munitions involved. | The Britain-based monitor – which relies on a network of sources inside Syria for its information – says it determines what planes carried out raids according to their type, location, flight patterns and the munitions involved. |
“Raqqa is being slaughtered silently”, is how an activist group that publishes news from Isis-held territory in Syria reported the strike. “The school that was targeted hosts nearly 50 displaced families.” | |
Syrian state news agency Sana also reported the air raid, accusing the US-led coalition of inflicting dozens of casualties and almost completely destroying the school site. | Syrian state news agency Sana also reported the air raid, accusing the US-led coalition of inflicting dozens of casualties and almost completely destroying the school site. |
Earlier this month, the coalition said its raids in Syria and Iraq had unintentionally killed at least 220 civilians. But other monitors say the number is far higher. | |
More than 320,000 people have been killed and millions more displaced since Syria’s conflict erupted in March 2011 with protests against President Bashar al-Assad. | More than 320,000 people have been killed and millions more displaced since Syria’s conflict erupted in March 2011 with protests against President Bashar al-Assad. |
The conflict has since evolved into a multi-front war that has facilitated the rise of jihadi groups and drawn in international powers, including the US. | The conflict has since evolved into a multi-front war that has facilitated the rise of jihadi groups and drawn in international powers, including the US. |
The US president has ordered his generals to craft an accelerated strategy to “eradicate” Isis’s caliphate, and allied countries are keen to learn more at Wednesday’s meeting. | |
Coalition partners are expected to provide feedback on a revised anti-Isis plan drafted by the Pentagon and presented to Trump last month. | Coalition partners are expected to provide feedback on a revised anti-Isis plan drafted by the Pentagon and presented to Trump last month. |