U.S. military announces killing 20 civilians in air strikes in Iraq and Syria
Archival photo.
(IraqiNews.com) The U.S. Central Command announced on Saturday the killing and wounding of 31 civilians during aerial strikes carried out by the U.S.-led international coalition against ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria.
Central Command said in a press statement obtained by IraqiNews.com, “20 civilians had been killed and 11 others were injured in air strikes against ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria between the 10th of September, 2015 and the 2nd of February , 2016.”
Colonel Patrick Ryder, the spokesperson for Central Command, told reporters: “There is no such thing as an intentional civilian casualty,” adding that, “We are attempting to avoid civilian casualties, but in these cases, unfortunately, we assess that it was likely that civilians had died.”
“In this type of armed conflict, particularly with an enemy who hides among the civilian population, there are going to be, unfortunately, civilian casualties at times,” said Ryder.