bearkat42
Well-Known Member
US military confirms it is investigating what could be one of the worst incidents of civilian deaths by coalition forces
At least 85 civilians, including almost a dozen children, have been killed after US air strikes targeted an area in northern Syria held by Islamic State (Isis/Daesh) fighters, a monitoring group has said.
Some eight families were reportedly wiped out in the IS-controlled village of Tokhar near Manbij on Tuesday (19 July), in what could be one of the deadliest bombings of civilians by coalition forces since the start of operations in the country.
The Turkey-based Syrian Institute for Justice said it feared the death toll could be far higher as rescuers continued to pull bodies from the rubble. Photographs of the aftermath showed several half-buried children being retrieved.
The US military confirmed it had conducted air strikes in the area and said it was investigating claims of civilian deaths.
"If the information supporting the allegation is determined to be credible, we will then determine the next appropriate step," the statement said. It added that the US military takes "all measures during the targeting process to avoid or minimize civilian casualties".
A second monitoring group, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, believed the air strikes were carried out in error after pilots mistook the civilians for IS fighters. It also reported a separate incident, on Sunday, in which six civilians in Manbij were killed by a coalition air strike, "including a woman with four of her children and an old man".
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/syria-least-85-civilians-feared-dead-after-us-air-strike-mistake-1571600
At least 85 civilians, including almost a dozen children, have been killed after US air strikes targeted an area in northern Syria held by Islamic State (Isis/Daesh) fighters, a monitoring group has said.
Some eight families were reportedly wiped out in the IS-controlled village of Tokhar near Manbij on Tuesday (19 July), in what could be one of the deadliest bombings of civilians by coalition forces since the start of operations in the country.
The Turkey-based Syrian Institute for Justice said it feared the death toll could be far higher as rescuers continued to pull bodies from the rubble. Photographs of the aftermath showed several half-buried children being retrieved.
The US military confirmed it had conducted air strikes in the area and said it was investigating claims of civilian deaths.
"If the information supporting the allegation is determined to be credible, we will then determine the next appropriate step," the statement said. It added that the US military takes "all measures during the targeting process to avoid or minimize civilian casualties".
A second monitoring group, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, believed the air strikes were carried out in error after pilots mistook the civilians for IS fighters. It also reported a separate incident, on Sunday, in which six civilians in Manbij were killed by a coalition air strike, "including a woman with four of her children and an old man".
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/syria-least-85-civilians-feared-dead-after-us-air-strike-mistake-1571600
I mean, look at it's history. Filled with nothing but centuries of fair play.
