Syria Examines US Statement on 'Mistaken' September Strike Against Syria Forces

Damascus is examining Pentagon’s statement regarding the US-led international coalition's airstrike against the Syrian government forces in September.

DAMASCUS (Sputnik) — Damascus is examining Pentagon’s statement regarding the unintentional and erroneous nature of the US-led international coalition's airstrike against the Syrian government forces in Deir ez-Zor in September, a high-ranking Syrian source told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.

On September 17, the international coalition carried out four airstrikes against positions of the Syrian government troops near Deir ez-Zor, leaving 62 personnel killed and some 100 wounded. On Tuesday, US Air Force Brig. Gen. Richard Coe announced the results of the internal probe concluding that US forces "made an unintentional regrettable error primarily based on human factors."

"Yes, we saw those statements. We need to study them in details to evaluate them," the source said.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said on Tuesday that US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter was informed about the investigation results and expressed confidence that the US military would learn from a September airstrike.

The US-led coalition of more than 60 nations has been conducting airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria since 2014. The airstrikes have not benn authorized by the government of President Bashar Assad or the UN Security Council.