Amnesty ‘shocked’ by devastation caused by US strikes in Syria’s Raqqah

Amnesty International’s new Secretary General Kumi Naidoo says he has been shocked by the horrific destruction and utter human devastation left by the US-led campaign in Syria’s northern city of Raqqah.

“What I saw in Raqqah shocked me to my core. The city is a shell, bombed-out buildings, very little running water or electricity, the stench of death hanging in the air. That anyone is still able to live there defies logic and stands as testimony to the remarkable resilience of the city’s civilians,” Naidoo said after his field visit to Raqqah.

“Attacks by the US-led coalition not only killed hundreds of civilians but also displaced tens of thousands, who are now returning to a city in ruins, while many others languish in camps,” he added.

The US has been conducting airstrikes against what it says are positions of the Daesh Takfiri terrorists inside Syria since September 2014 without any authorization from the Damascus government.

SS