Nine Separate US Airstrikes Likely Killed 20 Civilians in Iraq, Syria

20 civilians were killed and another 11 were injured by US airstrikes against the Daesh in Syria and Iraq, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM).

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Nine US airstrikes against the Daesh jihadist group, carried out between September and February, have killed 20 civilians in Iraq and Syria and injured another 11, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a press release on Friday.

"The preponderance of evidence indicates nine separate US airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, between Sept. 10, 2015 and Feb. 2, 2016, have likely resulted in the death of 20 civilians and injuries to an additional 11 civilians," the press release stated.

CENTCOM noted that the US military had taken all the necessary precautions to avoid civilian casualties in the airstrikes, but they nevertheless occurred.

The incidents took place in Iraqi cities of Kubaysah, Atshanah, al-Huwayjah, Ramadi and Mosul, as well as in Syria’s Raqqa, Tishreen and al-Ghazili, according to the press release.

 

The greatest number of casualties took place in Iraq on September 10, when eight civilians died in a town near Iraqi al-Huwayjah when a US strike hit a Daesh mortar fire position. Another five civilians became victims of the December 12 airstrike in Ramadi, when the US forces attacked a suspected terrorist checkpoint.

In Syria, two civilian deaths occurred on December 24 and February 2, when individuals unexpectedly drove into the area targeted by airstrikes, while another person died on December 10 during a strike on the Islamic State's external operations planner Siful Sujan.

The US-led coalition of more than 60 nations has been carrying out airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq since summer 2014. The Islamic State, also known as Daesh, is outlawed in the United States, Russia and numerous other countries.