US Airstrikes Kill 11 Civilians in Eastern Syria Town

Four children reportedly among the slain

US airstrikes pounded the village of Kishkiyeh in eastern Syria on Friday, killing at least 11 civilians, according to activist group DeirEzzor 24. The death toll was later confirmed by the Syrian government.

The attacked village was on the outskirts of the town of Shofeh, one of three “ISIS towns” that have been getting pounded by US airstrikes for months. The Syrian government’s reported added that there were “huge property losses” related to the attack.

Among the 11 people killed, local groups identified two women and four children. The US has yet to make any comment on the matter, regarding either why the village was attacked or who was killed.

This is common for the US-led coalition when strikes had no obvious target and killed only civilians. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights noted that over 1,000 people have been killed in attacks against the three towns and the adjoining villages, and roughly 12,000 people have fled the area to escape fighting and airstrikes.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.