Civilians among 21 killed in US-led Syria strikes
None
US-led coalition aircraft struck two locations in northern Syria on Saturday, killing at least 21 people, including a woman and her six children who were on a boat fleeing clashes between the Islamic State group and US-backed fighters, activist groups said.
Activist groups that operate in ISIS-held territory and are opposed to the militants have reported increasing numbers of civilian deaths from US-led airstrikes in recent weeks. The coalition is providing support to a Syrian Kurdish-led force that is on the offensive against the extremist group.
Thousands of people in areas held by ISIS are trying to flee the violence as preparations are underway to capture the northern city of Raqqa, the extremists' de facto capital. Activists and residents have said the militants are forcing civilians to stay in order to use them as human shields once the offensive on Raqqa begins.
Leaflets dropped by coalition warplanes in recent weeks gave confusing directions—one suggests areas closer to the Euphrates River are safer, but another warns that boats crossing the river will be struck.
