UN chief calls for protecting civilians in Raqqa

New York – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for protecting civilians at a time when the warplanes of the US-led international coalition continue their massacres against innocent civilians there, SANA reported.

I make an urgent appeal to all those conducting military operations in Syria to do everything in their power to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, he said in a statement Wednesday, adding that the inhabitants of Raqqa are facing critical situation.

The illegal US-led coalition, under the pretext of fighting the ISIS terrorist organizations, targeted on June 8 the residential neighborhoods in Raqqa city with airstrikes using white phosphorous bombs, leaving scores of innocent civilians dead or injured.

 In the statement, the UN chief voiced particular concern for the civilians in Raqqa as well as those stuck in other besieged and hard-to-reach areas, some of whom have been deprived of food and basic medical assistance for years on end.

The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria expressed deep concern over the large number of victims who were killed in Raqqa.

Guterres also expressed concern over the latest developments in Syria after downing the Syrian jet by the international coalition in the countryside of Raqqa, warning against worsening the situation there.