Probe Launched Into Civilian Casualties in 1st Foreign Raid Approved by Trump

The US Central Command (Centcom) launched an investigation into potential civilian casualties during a special forces raid in Yemen in December, the first such operation approved by US President Donald Trump, according to a statement by the Centcom.

MOSCOW, February 2 (Sputnik) — The casualties which "may include children" were likely caused by the covering aerial fire on December 29.

"[Centcom] seeks to determine if there were any still-undetected civilian casualties in the ferocious firefight," the statement obtained by The Guardian newspaper read.

"The known possible civilian casualties appear to have been potentially caught up in aerial gunfire that was called in to assist US forces in contact against a determined enemy that included armed women firing from prepared fighting positions and US special operations members receiving fire from all sides, including from houses and other buildings," the statement conclude.

Trump himself in a special address on Sunday said that the special forces had killed 14 al-Qaeda militants and gathered important intelligence.