Kurdish security forces deploy in Syria's northern city of Hasakah on Jan 22, 2022, amid ongoing fighting for a third day with the Islamic State group. (PHOTO/
AFP)
DAMASCUS – The Syrian Foreign Ministry on Saturday accused the US forces and its allied Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) of committing acts that left civilians killed in Syria's northeastern province of Raqqa, according to the state news agency SANA.
In a statement following the chaos in Hasakah that resulted from the escape attempt of Islamic State (IS) militants from a Kurdish-controlled prison and the US airstrikes that ensued, the Syrian ministry said the US Air Force has committed "barbaric" acts, leaving innocent civilians, including women and children, killed.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry also reiterated its demand for the withdrawal of the US forces from Syria, especially after the targeting of civilians during the hunt for the fleeing IS militants
The ministry said the chaos and the clashes between the IS militants and the SDF amid the airstrikes of the US forces had forced thousands of civilians to flee their homes in Kurdish-controlled areas to government-controlled ones in Hasakah.
The fleeing civilians received proper treatment upon reaching the government-controlled areas, it noted.
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The ministry also reiterated its demand for the withdrawal of the US forces from Syria, especially after the targeting of civilians during the hunt for the fleeing IS militants.
On Thursday, the IS attacked a Kurdish-run prison in Syria's northeastern province of Hasakah in an attempt to free IS inmates. Around 80 inmates managed to escape, positioning in nearby buildings, an incident that triggered clashes and airstrikes by the US forces.
Hasakah province is largely controlled by the US-backed SDF, with certain areas, particularly in the city of Qamishli, still under the control of the Syrian government.
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