US Military Confirms Deaths of 21 Syrian, Iraqi Civilians in Strikes in 3 Months

Strikes by the US-led anti-terror coalition apparently led to deaths of 21 civilians in Syria and Iraq from last November through January, the US Central Command said Saturday after assessing reports of possible casualties.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — This January, the Combined Joint Task Force looked into 10 reports of civilians being killed by coalition airstrikes or ground artillery attacks.

It received 27 new ones and completed inquiries into 19 cases, 10 of which were assessed as not credible.

"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. Nine reports were assessed to be credible resulting in the unintended death of 21 and injury to two civilians," the CENTCOM said in a statement.

Since 2014, the coalition of 68 nations has been conducting airstrikes against Daesh. The strikes in Iraq are conducted in support of the Iraqi government, but those in Syria are not authorized by the government of President Bashar Assad or the UN Security Council.