Civilians Reported Killed in US-Backed SDF Raid in Eastern Syria

Syrian state media said three civilians were killed

The US-backed Kurdish-led SDF carried out a raid in eastern Syria’s Deir Az Zor province on Monday. With the backing of the US-led coalition, the SDF said they took out five ISIS fighters, but reports from Syrian state media and a UK-based war monitor suggest civilians were killed in the raid.

Syrian state media reported that US warplanes conducted a “large-scale airdrop” with the SDF in the town of al-Busaira and that the airdrop was accompanied by indiscriminate fire that killed three civilians, who were all members of the same family.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) initially reported that three people were killed in the raid; a teacher and two of his sons. The SOHR later updated the number of dead to four.

Sources told the SOHR that one of the sons was suspected of “dealing in weapons and belonging to ISIS” and was killed with his brother-in-law when they attempted to flee on a motorcycle. The sources said the SDF also stormed the house of the teacher and executed him and his other son by firing squad.

Both reports said a number of people were arrested during the raid. The SOHR said “arms dealers and civilians” were arrested in the operation and Syrian state media said the SDF forces “kidnapped” a number of civilians.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.