MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Pentagon told the newspaper that it conducted airstrikes around the Syrian town of Ma’ra on May 27-28, but at the time it did not acknowledge that one of the US airstrikes hit the US-backed Mutasim Brigade that was fighting against Daesh on the ground.
"An investigation into this incident has been initiated. We will continue our support to counter-ISIL [Daesh] forces and will apply any lessons learned derived from the investigation to improve our operations in the future," Col. Patrick Ryder told The Wall Street Journal on Friday.
According to Ryder, four members of the Mutasim Brigade could have been killed in the US airstrike. Mustafa Sejry, the head of Mutasim’s political office, said as cited by the newspaper that 10 of the brigade’s fighters were killed in the bombing.
Daesh, a radical Sunni group banned in a range of countries including Russia and the United States, has ceased vast areas in Iraq, as well as Syria. A US-led international coalition has been conducting airstrikes against Daesh targets in Iraq and Syria since 2014.
The United States has also been providing training and equipment to some militias fighting against Daesh on the ground, although the training missions have been critiqued for their lack of effectiveness.
