DAMASCUS (Dispatches) – At least 20 civilians have been killed and 20 others injured in fresh airstrikes conducted by the U.S. against southern outskirts of the Syrian city of Raqqah, a London-based monitor says.
The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said Sunday the casualties came after warplanes attacked civilian buses leaving Raqqah, which is held by the Daesh terrorist group.
On Thursday, the U.S. carried out similar air raids on the city of Mayadin in Dayr al-Zawr Province, with the observatory saying at least 106 civilians, including 42 children, had been killed in the attacks.
The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates wrote to the UN on Saturday, calling for the cessation of "illegal" attacks that "blatantly contradict the UN Security Council’s resolutions, international law, and international humanitarian law."
In two letters addressed to UN chief Antonio Guterres and the world body’s Security Council, the ministry denounced the U.S.-led campaign "against Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity under the pretext of combating terrorism."
The airstrikes, it said, "only contribute to spreading chaos and destruction" and benefit terror outfits such as Daesh and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham operating in the Arab country.
Syria wrote similar letters earlier, condemning the May 15 U.S. strikes that killed a total of 57 people in al-Ekirshi village of Raqqah Province and the city of Abu Kamal in Dayr al-Zawr Province.
Meanwhile, Syria's military and allied fighters have made new advances against the Daesh terrorist group and other terrorists in the country's strategic southern desert.
Various sources, including opposition media channels, confirmed that the government and allied troops had secured a large territory in the Syrian Desert. They said the region covered some key areas that used to be under the control of Daesh and other terrorist groups that enjoy support from the West.
The Syrian Central Military media said 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles) in the desert area were secured in the multi-pronged operation, which began more than two weeks ago. The gains restore the government's control over mineral and oil resources, including the key phosphate mines in Khneifes, a major source of revenue for Daesh.
Other sources said Syrian forces also recaptured al-Ilianiya, an area controlled by U.S.-backed terrorists near the border with Jordan. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which advocates Syria’s opposition, said Syrian forces had secured a total of 6,000 kilometers (3,700 miles) in the desert since the offensive began earlier this month.
Experts say gains made on Saturday would significantly boost the morale of the government forces in the battle against terrorists while they could hugely facilitate the advance toward the province of Dayr al-Zawr, where Daesh holds a grip. The advances also widen the government's control south of Palmyra in Homs province while the highway linking Palmyra to the capital Damascus would also be secured.