US investigating civilian deaths in Syria, Iraq strikes
The U.S. military is reviewing several incidents in which civilians may have been killed in coalition airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, officials said Tuesday, according to AFP.
The comments marked the first time the US military has acknowledged that the air war may have exacted a toll on civilians.
U.S. Central Command, which is overseeing the air campaign, initially looked into 18 cases and concluded 13 were not credible but five merited further review. Of those, two incidents - one in Iraq and one in Syria - prompted formal investigations, defense officials told AFP.
The current probes involved one case that occurred as recently as Dec. 26, officials said.
"What I know is that Central Command is investigating several [of] what they believe to be credible allegations of civilian casualties," Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby told reporters.
"This is something we always take seriously. We are very mindful of trying to mitigate the risk to civilians every time we operate, everywhere we operate."