Damascus Accuses US-Led Coalition of Crimes Against Humanity

The Syrian Foreign Ministry has accused the US-led coalition of crimes against humanity, citing airstrikes targeting the Bagus village which killed dozens of civilians, according to a ministry statement obtained by Sputnik.

"The international coalition's attacks targeting innocent civilians and using prohibited weapons have become a regular and normal tactic that violates the international law and human rights. This crime is a military offence against humanity," the ministry's statement reads.

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The statement also cited letters sent to the UN secretary general and the UN Security Council chief as saying that the Syrian Arab Republic called on the countries involved in the US-led coalition to reconsider their participation in acts of aggression against Syria.

The ministry's comment comes after the day before Syrian media reported that coalition airstrikes in the Deir ez-Zor village of Bagus killed at least 16 civilians, including seven children. However, the next day, reports emerged stating that the civilian casualty toll in the latest wave of coalition airstrikes on the village had risen to at least 70 people killed and wounded.

On Saturday, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced they had begun an operation aimed at liberating Bagus from the Daesh* terrorist group. The SDF claims that the village is the last settlement held by Daesh in Syria.

*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist group banned in Russia