Coalition forces led by the United States had carried airstrikes against ISIS in the city of Raqqa that resulted in human casualties and in the opinion of UN war crime investigators the casualty figures are considerably high. The matter is one of concern because the figure since March is in the range of 300 and a majority of them are residents of a particular village, as reported by Sky News.
The coalition airstrikes
Sky News reports that the coalition is extending support is extending support to a ground offensive by a Kurdish-led alliance and the aim is to retake the city which has been in the grip of ISIS militants since 2014.
The forces have already retaken some of the areas and want to push out the militants in totality for which they have resorted to airstrikes.
This has created problems for the civilian population because they are hemmed in by the militants on one side and the coalition forces from other sides. Already more than 160,000 civilians have fled to safety and the exodus has given rise to refugee crisis for many of the countries.
According to estimates of the United States -led coalition, there are still thousands of militants in the city of Raqqa and unless they are driven out, it will be difficult for normalcy to return.
What is the fate of Raqqa?
Paulo Pinheiro, chairman of the UN commission of inquiry, has indicated that the success of the coalition offensive led by the United States would mean liberation of the civilians of the city.
The ISIS militants are believed to have kept the women and girls enslaved ever since they took over Raqqa in 2014 and it is nothing but a case of unaddressed genocide.
It is necessary to wipe out the terrorists but the problem is the presence of civilians in areas infested by the militants. When these areas are targeted for airstrikes, there are human casualties who are caught in the firing line.
Raqqa is badly in need of various types of aid like medicines, food, and shelter and with more than half a million people involved, it is a massive task for those who are looking after their welfare needs.
The unrest in Syria coupled with the terror unleashed by the ISIS has forced people to move out and seek refuge in neighboring countries.
This has, in turn, led to an influx of refugees in Europe and many hundreds of lives have been lost in the process as people tried to flee from the horrors. Added to that are the threats of terrorism that have disturbed the lives of people all over the world and divided the nations.
Could dialogue be the answer?
There is distrust brewing in all corners of the world because no one knows who is a terrorist and how and where he will strike. In order to bring peace to the region, all concerned should resort to dialogues and resolve the issues instead of embracing the path of violence.