{"slug":"raqqa-coalition-bombardment-2017","title":"Raqqa Bombardment: US-Led Coalition Strikes Killed More Than 1,600 Civilians in Four Months, Amnesty and Airwars Find (June–October 2017)","date":"2017-06-06","lastUpdated":"2026-10-04","description":"Between 6 June and 17 October 2017 the US-led coalition bombarded Raqqa, Syria, to drive out the Islamic State. US forces carried out more than 90% of the air strikes and fired all of the coalition's artillery: about 30,000 rounds, which Amnesty describes as unguided. A joint Amnesty International and Airwars investigation found more than 1,600 civilians were reportedly killed by coalition strikes, gathered names for more than 1,000 and verified 641 deaths on the ground; the coalition acknowledged 159. Amnesty found prima facie evidence that several attacks violated international humanitarian law, including attacks on buildings full of civilians that it said were disproportionate or indiscriminate. The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria reported 'countless' civilian deaths from daily coalition strikes.","summary":"The US-led campaign to retake Raqqa from ISIS in 2017 used thousands of air strikes and some 30,000 unguided artillery rounds in a city full of trapped civilians. Amnesty and Airwars found more than 1,600 civilians reportedly killed; the coalition admits 159. Amnesty found prima facie evidence of unlawful attacks; no investigation has established individual criminal responsibility.","category":"extrajudicial-killing","severity":"severe","ongoing":false,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/04/syria-unprecedented-investigation-reveals-us-led-coalition-killed-more-than-1600-civilians-in-raqqa-death-trap/","title":"Syria: Unprecedented investigation reveals US-led Coalition killed more than 1,600 civilians in Raqqa 'death trap'","publisher":"Amnesty International"},{"url":"https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde24/8367/2018/en/","title":"Syria: 'War of annihilation': Devastating toll on civilians, Raqqa (MDE 24/8367/2018)","publisher":"Amnesty International"},{"url":"https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/MDE2483672018ENGLISH.pdf","title":"'War of annihilation': Devastating toll on civilians, Raqqa – Syria (full report, PDF)","publisher":"Amnesty International"},{"url":"https://documents.un.org/api/symbol/access?s=A/HRC/37/72&l=en&t=pdf","title":"Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic (A/HRC/37/72), 1 February 2018","publisher":"UN Human Rights Council"}],"draft":false,"status":"published","tags":["Syria","Raqqa","ISIS","airstrikes","artillery","civilian casualties","Operation Inherent Resolve","Amnesty International","Airwars"],"relatedEntries":["mosul-al-jadida-airstrike-march-2017","drone-strike-civilian-casualties-expansion","syrian-kurds-betrayal-turkey-offensive","baghuz-airstrike-cover-up-2019"],"timeline":[{"date":"2017-06-06","title":"Offensive on Raqqa city begins","summary":"The Syrian Democratic Forces, backed by US-led coalition air and artillery strikes, launch the offensive on Raqqa city. Shortly before, Defense Secretary James Mattis had promised a 'war of annihilation' against ISIS (Amnesty)."},{"date":"2017-06-28","title":"Aswad family basement struck","summary":"A coalition air strike destroys the Aswad family building near the Jezra intersection, killing eight civilians sheltering in the basement, most of them children (Amnesty)."},{"date":"2017-07-02","title":"'We shoot every boat we find'","summary":"Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the US commander of the coalition, says: 'we shoot every boat we find. If you want to get out of Raqqa right now, you've got to build a poncho raft.' Civilians had few other ways to cross the Euphrates (Amnesty)."},{"date":"2017-10-17","title":"Operation declared complete","summary":"The operation to oust ISIS from Raqqa is declared complete. Most of the city is destroyed (Amnesty; UN Commission of Inquiry)."},{"date":"2018-02-01","title":"UN Commission of Inquiry reports on Raqqa","summary":"The Commission reports about 150 coalition air strikes a day at the height of the operation and 'countless' civilian deaths (A/HRC/37/72)."},{"date":"2018-06-05","title":"Amnesty: 'War of annihilation'","summary":"Amnesty publishes its field investigation (42 strike sites, 112 witnesses), finding prima facie evidence of unlawful attacks and a coalition 'in denial' (MDE 24/8367/2018)."},{"date":"2019-04-25","title":"Amnesty and Airwars: more than 1,600 civilians killed","summary":"The joint investigation finds more than 1,600 civilian deaths reported from coalition strikes, 641 verified on the ground, against 159 acknowledged by the coalition (Amnesty)."}],"location":{"name":"Raqqa, Syria","lat":35.95,"lng":39.01},"custom":{"era":"first-term","posture":"reported","warCrimeClassification":"potential","internationalLaw":[{"statute":"Geneva Conventions, Common Article 3","provision":"Protection of persons taking no active part in hostilities in a non-international armed conflict (US is a party)"},{"statute":"Customary international humanitarian law (ICRC study)","article":"Rules 1, 11–12, 14 and 15","provision":"Distinction; prohibition of indiscriminate attacks; proportionality; precautions in attack. Applicable in non-international armed conflict."},{"statute":"Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court","article":"Article 8(2)(e)(i)","provision":"Intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population in a non-international armed conflict (US and Syria are not States Parties)"}],"iccRelevance":true,"civilianCasualties":1600,"victims":"More than 1,600 civilians reportedly killed by coalition air and artillery strikes, according to Amnesty International and Airwars; they gathered names for more than 1,000 and directly verified 641 deaths. The coalition acknowledges 159. Many were women and children sheltering in homes and basements while ISIS mined escape routes and shot people trying to flee.","perpetrators":"US forces under Combined Joint Task Force–Operation Inherent Resolve, which carried out more than 90% of the air strikes and all coalition artillery fire; Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, coalition commander; Defense Secretary James Mattis; President Donald Trump as commander-in-chief. British and French forces conducted the remaining air strikes. ISIS, which used civilians as human shields and mined escape routes, is responsible for its own crimes.","structuredVictims":[{"group":"Civilians trapped in Raqqa","nationality":"Syrian","status":"reportedly killed by coalition strikes (Amnesty/Airwars); 641 verified on the ground; 159 acknowledged by the coalition","count":1600}],"structuredPerpetrators":[{"name":"Combined Joint Task Force–Operation Inherent Resolve","role":"US-led coalition command that conducted the air and artillery campaign","institution":"Department of Defense"},{"name":"Stephen Townsend","role":"Lieutenant General, US commander of the coalition during the Raqqa operation","institution":"US Army"},{"name":"Donald Trump","role":"Commander-in-chief","institution":"White House"}],"keyPoints":["The operation to oust ISIS from Raqqa began on 6 June 2017 and was declared complete on 17 October 2017 (Amnesty International).","Under the command of a US general, US forces fired 100% of the coalition's artillery into Raqqa and carried out more than 90% of its air strikes; British and French aircraft carried out the rest (Amnesty, 'War of annihilation').","Sgt. Maj. John Wayne Troxell, senior enlisted adviser to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, said US Marines 'fired 30,000 artillery rounds on ISIS targets' in five months, more than any Marine or Army battalion since the Vietnam War. Amnesty describes the artillery as unguided; standard M777 shells have an average margin of error of over 100 metres (Amnesty).","Amnesty and Airwars found that more than 1,600 civilians were reportedly killed by coalition strikes, gathered names for more than 1,000 and directly verified 641 deaths in Raqqa. The coalition has acknowledged 159 (Amnesty, April 2019).","Amnesty documented air strikes on four families' homes: eight people killed in the Aswad family's basement on 28 June 2017; 39 Badran family members and 10 neighbours killed in four strikes, including 30 family members, mostly women and children, on 20 August 2017; and nine of the Hashish family killed in one strike. It found no information that ISIS fighters were in the buildings when they were hit.","Amnesty found 'strong prima facie evidence' that several coalition attacks violated international humanitarian law and called for those responsible for any war crimes to be prosecuted.","The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria reported that at the height of the operation the coalition conducted about 150 air strikes a day, resulting in the destruction of much of the city and 'the death of countless civilians' (A/HRC/37/72)."],"searchAliases":["Raqqa","Battle of Raqqa","Raqqa death trap","War of annihilation"],"verificationStatus":"cross-referenced","legalBasis":"Common Article 3; customary IHL rules on distinction, indiscriminate attacks, proportionality and precautions (applicable in non-international armed conflict); Rome Statute Art. 8(2)(e)(i) as reflecting custom","postureNote":"No court or tribunal has ruled. The casualty figures are Amnesty International and Airwars' field-verified estimates; the coalition acknowledges about 10% of them and has not released the strike-level data needed to assess each attack. Amnesty's legal conclusion is that there is prima facie evidence of IHL violations; it did not find that particular strikes were war crimes, and no investigation has established the knowledge or intent of those who ordered them. This entry is therefore classified 'potential'.","relatedIncidents":["mosul-al-jadida-airstrike-march-2017","drone-strike-civilian-casualties-expansion","syrian-kurds-betrayal-turkey-offensive","baghuz-airstrike-cover-up-2019"]}}