Syria: Time has come to shed light on US coalition crimes in Raqqa
The Syrian FM says the operation carried out by the illegitimate international US-led coalition in Raqqa in 2017 destroyed the city and killed its civilians.
Syria sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and to the UN Security Council about the war crimes of the US-led international coalition in the city of Raqqa in 2017, the Syrian Foreign Ministry announced in a statement released by SANA.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs made it clear that the US military operation carried out by the forces of the illegitimate international coalition in Raqqa in the period from June to October 2017, led to the almost complete destruction of the city and thousands of its civilians," the Syrian Foreign Ministry statement indicated.
US killed, injured 240 civilians in Raqqa
In its official letter to the UN, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said that the “time has come to shed light on this humanitarian, political and legal issue."
“US official sources have admitted to the killing and injuring of 240 civilians in Raqqa out of 38 different incidents," the Ministry highlighted.
The US-led coalition's goal was to destroy the city, target civilians
The letter stressed that the goal of the coalition's operation was to destroy infrastructure and public and private property and target civilians.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry pointed out that it will continue to raise the issue of Raqqa, Al-Baghouz, the Euphrates Dam, and other Syrian regions which were targeted and destroyed by the international coalition.
US & allies committed war crimes and crimes against humanity
It added that the number of casualties, particularly in Raqqa, Ayn Al-Arab, and Al-Baghouz, prove that the US and its allies have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity.
“Syria reserves its right in holding governments of states that were involved with 'the International Coalition' the political, moral and legal responsibility for the crimes perpetrated by the military forces and for the losses and damages that affected the private and public properties," the letter concluded.
Raqqa was destroyed by pro-US formations
In 2014, Raqqa was captured by militants of the Islamic State terrorist group. In October 2017, the city was seized, after a months-long military operation, by the Syrian Democratic Forces with the support of the international coalition aviation.
During the massive bombardments and actions of the pro-US formations, Raqqa was actually destroyed.
The US military illegally controls territories in the north and northeast of Syria in the provinces of Deir Ezzor, Al-Hasakah, and Raqqa, where the largest oil and gas fields in Syria are located.
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Damascus has repeatedly deemed the presence of the US military on its territory as an occupation and state piracy with the aim of outright theft of oil.