Death Toll In US-Led Coalition Airstrike In Syria's Deir Ez-Zor Rises To 31 - Reports

DAMASCUS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th January, 2019) The number of victims of the US-led international coalition airstrike in the Syrian village of Baghuz Tahtani in Deir ez-Zor province has increased to 31, Syrian pro-government newspaper al-Watan reported on Saturday, citing local sources.

On Friday, the state-run Ikhbariya television reported that at least 20 civilians were killed and several more wounded in a US-led coalition airstrike on a village in Syria's Deir ez-Zor province. On Saturday, the Syrian Foreign Ministry sent letters to the UN demanding to take action against the coalition in light of the airstrikes.

All of those killed are civilians, members of three families, the newspaper's sources said.

It is noted that civilians were hit by an airstrike when they fled the village from the militants of the Islamic State terrorist group (IS, banned in Russia).

The Syrian media have frequently reported about civilian casualties as a result of the US-led coalition's strikes. The Syrian authorities have called on the United Nations to hold those responsible for the civilian casualties accountable and put an end to the US-led coalition's unauthorized presence on Syrian territory.

The US-led coalition of more than 70 countries has said it has conducted military operations against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. The coalition's operations in Syria are not authorized by the government of President Bashar Assad or the UN Security Council.