America’s hypocritical war crimes continue in Syria, Iraq and beyond

In Raqqa, the American led coalition is a self-described anti-ISIS force but in reality hundreds of civilians have been the victims of what can only be called genocide. Areas like Al-Mansora,  Al-Jomailieh and many others in the countryside of Raqqa Governorate are filled the bodies of the murdered, including entire families. Many others still have been left displaced with no safe places to seek or obtain shelter.

Those who were fortunate fled Raqqa because of the US led coalition strikes on their buildings, schools and infrastructure. US atrocities against the civilians of Raqqa are as barbaric as the acts of the so called ISIS. The refugees from Raqqa to Aleppo and Lattakia told me and my friends all about it.

The US led coalition is destroying the city, leaving people with no water, no electricity all while failing to hit many ISIS targets. This is nothing new, the US has been torturing the people of Syria ever since 2011 when it began backing terrorists who have destabilised Syria ever since.

I remember a girl called Lara who fled Raqqa with her family to Lattakia almost three years ago. I asked Lara what is worse , Al Nusra front (aka al-Qaeda in Syria), the FSA or this new form of ISIS. I Could ask Lara the girl with 12 years old as she replied, but I didn’t ask the older women , they  were afraid to reply, in case they ever returned to Raqqa.

Lara  said that  both are radical, however with  the FSA you see slightly more Syrians, but in this ISIS organization, you see that most of them are Africans that came with their families, they occupied the city, and they took beautiful women by force to join their vile so-called sex jihad. Anyone that resisted was summarily beheaded in the public square.

Why is it that only the so’called ‘rebel’ strongholds so rapidly and easily turn into areas under ISIS control?

Furthermore, Raqqa is currently being bombarded by US coalition airstrikes but against whom?

We know that the US led coalition used white phosphorus against people in Raqqa and Mosul in Iraq!

It is the US  who has an evil plan to ethnically cleanse Syrians and give their  provinces  to YPG (Kurdish fighters) as a reward for fighting along side the US.

Raqqa  has started to witness cholera cases  because of the pollution of  the water supply  by  the rebels, as well as the fact that the USA  cut  the water  from the city, without  a care for the humanity, health, and hygiene of the people.  None of these conditions existed when Raqqa was under government control.

The USA  doesn’t stop attacking Syria with false accusation of chemical attacks! They claim they obtain this information through their satellites.

However when it comes to the so-called ISIS convoy  movements from Iraq to Syria, their Satellites are  blind!

Furthermore ,  US officials had  declared a year ago that it would take them 10 years to defeat ISIS in Iraq.

But what we see now is that the Iraqi forces on the ground almost defeated the so called ISIS in less than one year of intense fighting.

The US is effectively using ISIS as a justification to set up  airbases on the border with Iraq and within the Syrian territory, this  time  in the north of Syria with the help of Kurdish fighters. The pretext for these illegal acts of military occupation is always the same: fighting ISIS.  The existence of ISIS has become a useful tool to America for achieving their ultimate goal of occupying and dividing Syria. They are constantly aided in this by illegal attacks on Syria by the Israeli air force.

In fact, why have never even heard or seen a single kidnapped kid  that was  released from the hands of ISIS by this US led coalition? Why have we never seen one picture of an ISIS fighter killed by America?

However, there is a story of a Christian girl who was  three years old, when ISIS kidnapped her: After three years the Iraqi forces  along with  the Iraqi families helped to secure the girl, Christina now is again among  her family. However , she couldn’t recognise them, she is six years old now,  and  she forgot her religion and the language of her  Yezidi family.

What else did the liberation of Al-Mosul reveal?

A report was made to  be sent to the UN which talked about 17,00+ dead bodies of Iraqi civilians under the ruins of destroyed buildings because of US airstrikes on residential buildings. They were found by Iraqi civil defend teams according to Iraqi officials

5,000 Iraqi houses were turned into piles of stones because of the US led coalition airstrikes against  Iraqi people in Al-Mosul.

The result is 900,000 refugees and homeless families.

Again,why did the  so-called ISIS  never suffer in such ways under US led coalition airstikes?

The Iraqi army with the support of  Al Hashd  al sha’abi,  continue their  mission to  capture many  ISIS terrorists who are  running  inside  the tunnels in Al-MOSUL , in their  attempt to escape being captured, and  remain as sleeper cells!

Least  but  not  last,  the  USA  is seeking  to strike a deal regarding the de-escalation zones  in the southwestern parts of Syria, where the Syrian Army is advancing and gaining ground in  the war against  terrorists.  It is the USA  and  their  lovey dovey Israel, the occupation entity, which is afraid of the Syrian Arab Army’s advance in these areas. We can  recall that the Israeli Prime Minister declared that they prefer terrorists such as Al Nusra front over the Syrian Government. Why not  since  those terrorists fight on behalf of Israel, and get all treatment in the Israeli entity’s hospitals. Israel justifies  their  support by  all  means to those terrorists, under the pretext of humanitarian help!  But what about  Gaza?

Gaza according to reports also made by  the UN, were defined as a city not suitable for human living.

The Gaza Strip has been under Israeli occupation for ten years. The water is not drinkable,  there is no electricity, no medical care and  no crossings are allowed to be opened for urgent cases who need transport to hospitals. The  Same conditions now exist in Syrian areas such as  Kafriea and Fao’a which have been under terrorist “moderate rebel” siege for more than two years.

In my simple report, I  am only  talking  about Mosul  in Iraq, Raqqa in Syria, and Gaza in occupied Palestine.  I didn’t mention Yemen which is suffering under the US backed Saudi’s illegal strikes, cluster bombs, and the cholera epidemic. I didn’t mention Libya and the miserable life there which has developed after the NATO bombardment of  this country in 2011.

When the United States wants to control our land , when humanity is being destroyed under their drones, and while their media machine turns their war crimes into ‘humanitarian help’ to make war look like the bringer of democracy and freedom, it is no wonder that America has become so hated in Syria, Iraq and Palestine.

Afra’a Dagher is a Syrian political commentator and analyst based in Lattakia. Her statements represent her personal views as a Syrian civilian.