Coalition: 841 civilians killed in Iraq, Syria operations till January
A U.S. Air Force KC-10 Extender refuels a British aircraft during a sortie to support Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve over Iraq, March 22, 2017. Extenders have provided fuel to coalition aircraft to weaken and destroy the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Air Force photo by Senior Tyler Woodward.
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The United States-led coalition has said it had killed 841 civilians in its operations against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, its combined command said on Thursday.
The Combined Joint Task Force of the coalition said in a statement it assessed, during January, 116 credible reports of civilian casualties resulting from coalition operations. “ To date, based on information available, CJTF-OIR assesses at least 841 civilians have been unintentionally killed by Coalition strikes since the start of Operation Inherent Resolve”.
According to the statement, “ The Coalition and our partners have liberated over 98% of the area formerly controlled by Daesh (Arabic acronym for Islamic State), and have liberated 7.7 million Iraqis and Syrians once held under brutal Daesh rule”. It added that, despite the proclaimed achievement, “much work still needs to be done to ensure the lasting defeat of the terrorist, criminal organization”.
Islamic State militants emerged in 2014 and occupied a third of Iraq and neighboring Syria to establish a self-styled “Islamic Caliphate”. The coalition backed Iraqi troops in a military campaign that managed to retake all territories occupied by IS last December.
The war displaced nearly five million people, nearly have of which have returned to their home regions, while thousands were killed, either by IS or by botched coalition strikes.