Innocent victims of a long war

(MENAFN- Jordan Times) While the US-led coalition insists that it takes every measure to avoid civilian casualties as it conducts air strikes against Daesh in Syria and Iraq, and that its goal is 'zero civilian casualties', the latest figures show that close to 500 civilians were killed in Syria in a month, and it may have killed as many as 200 civilians in Mosul.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the UK-based information office whose stated aim is to document alleged human rights abuses, reported recently that the period May 23-June 23 of this year saw the highest number of civilian deaths due to the coalition air strikes, started on September 23, 2014, to rout Daesh in Syria once and for all.

The observatory also reported that 222 civilians, including children, were killed by air strikes on the Daesh-held province of Deir Ezzor since the coalition's military campaign has started.

According to the office, the number of civilian casualties caused by the coalition bombardments reached 1,953, including 456 children and 333 women.

In a recent statement issued by the coalition, it admitted that its air strikes have 'unintentionally killed 484 civilians' in the course of its military campaign in Iraq and Syria, but that it is trying its best to avoid civilians targets.

Russian air raids on civilians in Syria since the beginning of its military intervention yielded an even worse record; Moscow killed many more thousands of civilians, including children and women, while fighting terrorists in this Arab country.

And the fate of civilians there seems to get worse by the day.

The UN has just warned that no less than 100,000 civilians are trapped in Raqqa, which the US-led forces are trying to recapture from Daesh.

While all sides insist that they are trying hard to avoid killing innocent civilians, the toll is bound to rise as long as the war goes on.

While not much can be done to control Daesh's dastardly killings, much more is expected from the major powers engaged in the war scene in Syria.

The time will come when all sides involved in the killing fields of this Arab country will be held accountable under international law.

That should not be forgotten by the forces that execute blanket bombing with little thought for the hapless innocent civilians.

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