US-led airstrikes kill 43 civilians in Syria

Damascus, June 3 (IANS): At least 43 civilians were killed in US-led airstrikes that targeted a residential building in Syria’s Raqqa city, officials said on Saturday. The airstrikes on Friday targeted the al-Jamili building in Raqqa and most of those killed were women and children, SANA news agency reported. Civilian casualties have increased recently as a result of the intensification of US airstrikes on Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, and other IS strongholds in northern and eastern Syria. A day earlier, 20 civilians were killed when a US-led airstrike targeted residential buildings in Raqqa, including a hospital and a hotel. Last Sunday, 20 civilians were killed in similar airstrikes in Raqqa. Last Thursday, 35 civilians were killed by airstrikes on the IS-held city of Mayadeen in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour. The Syrian government has repeatedly denounced the attacks targeting civilians, branding the operation of the US-led anti-terror coalition in Syria as “illegitimate”.