US investigated hundreds of reports of civilian casualties in Iraq, Syria
This report is unique because America has rarely carried out airstrikes against pro-Iranian groups in Iraq.
By SETH J. FRANTZMANA view shows the destroyed houses in the old city of Mosul, Iraq, June 3, 2020(photo credit: REUTERS/ABDULLAH RASHID)
A new report by the US-led coalition against ISIS has assessed numerous reports of civilian casualties dating back several years. It was released this week and describes five “credible” incidents in which civilians were killed since 2016.The most recent incident was on March 13, 2020, when US airstrikes targeted pro-Iranian groups in Iraq following a rocket attack that killed three coalition members.This report is unique because the US has rarely carried out airstrikes against pro-Iranian groups inside Iraq.On March 13, coalition forces conducted an airstrike in Karbala against Kata’ib Hezbollah, the report said, adding: “Regrettably, one civilian was unintentionally wounded as a result of the strike.”In July, the coalition had more than 113 open reports and received 21 new reports, it said. Some 107 reports are still open, and four were reopened due to new evidence. In June, the coalition received 24 new reports, it said.This gives a sense of the volume of these reports. Some date back to 2015 when the coalition was first making headway against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.For instance, a December 30, 2015, report that alleged coalition casualties in Mosul was deemed uncreditable in June. Many of the reports relate equally to the years 2017, 2018 and 2019, with a handful from this year.For instance, the coalition deemed credible a report of a civilian killed on August 11, 2016. It also judged credible reports that at least three civilians were killed on September 30 near Hajin and that 16 civilians were unintentionally killed in Mosul on January 6, 2017.The coalition said it has helped liberate 110,000 sq. km. from ISIS and that it has helped free 7.7 million people. Iraqi security forces, Kurdish Peshmerga and the Syrian Democratic Forces in Syria did most of the fighting on the ground in partnership with US and coalition air power and Special Forces.The reports are of interest because they show the long-term investigations and the open files relating to complaints of civilian casualties.
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