Iraq, US air strike on Mosul killed 105 civilians
Iraq, US air strike on Mosul killed 105 civilians: According to the US Central Command (CentCom) it had targeted two snipers from so-called Islamic State (IS) with what it has called a “precision-guided munition.” CentCom added that the death toll in the March attack in Iraq included four civilians in another nearby structure.
However, the air strike had detonated explosives that the militants had placed in the building. Civilians which were sheltered in the lower floors were killed when the building collapsed. According to the monitors, in another incident, 35 civilians were killed on Thursday 25th, May, 2017, in US led coalition air strikes in an eastern Syrian town.
According to the information the strikes had targeted the IS held town of Mayadeen in the province of Deir Ezzor. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said that Families of IS fighters, which included children, were among the people who were killed.
According to the eyewitnesses present at the scene another 36 non-combatants were also in the building, however the US authorities said it had “insufficient evidence to determine their status.”
CentCom earlier had said that the planes had acted at the request of Iraqi security forces. As the coalition forces attempted to obtain by threat control of the city from IS.
According to a declassified summary of the report, the civilians had been gathered in the lower floors of the building after they were expelled from their homes by IS fighters.
The report further said that those organising the strike “could not have predicted the presence of civilians in the structure prior to the engagement.”
The US officials have said that the the type of bomb which was chosen “to minimise collateral damage” however the explosives hidden by IS, were at least four times more powerful than the weapon itself.
In a statement Major General Joe Martin has said “Our condolences go out to all those that were affected.” He further added that “The coalition takes every feasible measure to protect civilians from harm.”
According to the Initial media reports the casualty estimates could be as high as 200. While hundreds of thousands of civilians have fled the northern Iraqi city as the operation to reclaim the city has continued.
In the offensive thousands of Iraqi security forces, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, Sunni Arab tribesmen and Shia militiamen which are assisted by US led coalition warplanes and military advisers, were involved in the offensive. The offensive was launched in October 2016.
Earlier the government had announced the full “liberation” of eastern Mosul in January 2017. However the west of the city has presented a more difficult challenge, due to its narrow and winding streets.
In the meantime Iraq has also opened an inquiry into claims that its forces abused and killed civilians in the battle for the city.
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