US-Led Coalition Admits Killing 220 Civilians In Airstrikes In Iraq, Syria

MEP: The United States has admitted its Air Force has killed at least 220 civilians in the air strikes launched in Syria and Iraq under the Barack Obama administration in 2014.

The US military released figures on Saturday after the deaths of 21 civilians during nine separate raids against various targets in the two counties between November and January.

“Although the Coalition takes extraordinary efforts to strike military targets in a manner that minimizes the risk of civilian casualties, in some incidents casualties are unavoidable,” it claimed.

US Central Command, which leaders Operation Inherent Resolve, confirmed 21 civilian deaths in nine new incidents in its latest round of investigations.

“We regret the unintentional loss of civilian lives resulting from coalition efforts to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria and express our deepest sympathies to the families and others affected by these strikes,” a spokesperson said.

The US command also noted that it could not investigate all reports of possible civilian casualties using “traditional investigative methods,” which involves interviewing witnesses and examining the site of the strike.

Instead, the coalition interviewed pilots and servicemen that took part in combat missions to draw results. The US command also reviewed strike surveillance videos and analyzed government and non-governmental organizations’ traditional and social media content.

Airwars estimates that the coalition has conducted at least 11,309 airstrikes in Iraq and 7,411 in Syria since operations against ISIS began in August 2014.