The American military apparently covered up several air strikes in Syria in 2019, in which many civilians were killed.
As the “New York Times” reported that up to 64 women and children in the fight against the extremist group Islamic State (IS) were killed in the attacks. Two successive air strikes near the city of Baghuz were therefore ordered by a secret American special unit responsible for ground operations in Syria.
According to the newspaper, the US Central Command, which oversees US air operations in Syria, confirmed the attacks for the first time this week and called them justified.
One statement said that the attacks were legitimate self-defense and that reasonable steps were taken to exclude the presence of civilians. “We abhor the loss of innocent life and we take all possible steps to prevent it. In this case, we reported the attack ourselves and investigated it based on our own knowledge, and we assume full responsibility for the unintentional loss of human life, ”said the central command.
The military confirmed to the “New York Times” that 80 people were killed in the attacks, including 16 IS fighters and four civilians. According to the central command, it was unclear whether the other 60 people were civilians, also because the women and children could also have been fighters.
The Inspector General of the Defense Ministry opened an investigation into the incident on March 18, 2019, but did not mention the attacks in his report. A thorough, independent investigation never took place, the newspaper said. The New York Times said its article about the incident was based on confidential documents and descriptions of classified reports, as well as interviews with directly involved employees.
US Army rejects report
The US Army has since rejected the media report. The use in question against fighters of the jihadist militia Islamic State in 2019 was “appropriate”, said the central command of the US armed forces on Sunday. Accordingly, “appropriate steps had been taken to exclude the presence of civilians”.
After initial reports of civilian victims, an investigation was initiated. This came to the conclusion that in addition to 16 IS fighters, at least four civilians were killed and eight wounded. “We take full responsibility for the accidental loss of life,” said a spokesman.
However, he added that the investigation could not conclusively determine “the status of more than 60 other victims” at the time. Apparently, some women and children, “whether through indoctrination or of their own free will, decided to take up arms in this fight” – and were therefore not classified as civilians.