Middle East News

Civilian casualties after coalition airstrike on boat near Raqqa, Syria, activists say

Local activists said on April 6 that an overnight US-led coalition airstrike on a boat near Raqqa, Syria caused civilian casualties.

UPDATE April 9

A spokesperson for the US-led coalition told Grasswire that it “does not appear to have conducted any strikes on watercraft near Raqqah between 2-6 April,” and that this incident has been referred to its civilian casualty team for assessment.


Local activists said on April 6 that an overnight US-led coalition airstrike on a boat near Raqqa, Syria caused civilian casualties.

Raqqa SL said on Twitter that coalition strikes targeted a boat crossing the Euphrates river in the early hours of the morning.

Raqqa24 said that five people including a woman and a child were killed overnight when a boat that was crossing to the west bank of the Euphrates near Raqqa was hit.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that “warplanes believed to belong to the international coalition bombed after midnight yesterday areas in Al-Raqqah city … SOHR received information about their targeting of a boat while it was crossing the Euphrates River, no information so far about human losses.”

SDF component Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa, which is in the area, said on Facebook that coalition aircraft launched four air raids in the early hours targeting ferries on the Euphrates river.

#الرقة شنت طائرات التحالف الدولي 4 غارات جوية بعد منتصف الليل وساعات الفجر الأولى استهدفت عبارات على نهر الفرات.

Posted by ‎لواء حرائر الرقة‎ on Thursday, April 6, 2017

Raqqa SL later said on Facebook that civilians were killed and injured in a raid by coalition aircraft targeting a boat crossing the Euphrates river in the city of Raqqa.

‏⁦#الرقة_تذبح_بصمت#SYRIA #ISIS #YPG #RAQQAسقوط شهداء و جرحى جراء غارة لطيران التحالف استهدفت قارب على متنه مدنيين اثناء عبوره نهر الفرات في مدينة الرقة.

Posted by ‎الرقة تذبح بصمت Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently‎ on Thursday, April 6, 2017

In its air strike report for April 5, Operation Inherent resolve said “two strikes destroyed an ISIS vehicle.”

Around March 17, the coalition dropped leaflets on Raqqa warning people not to use boats.

“Do not use ferries or boats, airstrikes are coming” – a coalition leaflet dropped on Raqqa on March 17, 2017

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