US investigating hundreds of deaths in Mosul after air strike

WASHINGTON, March 25 (KUNA) -- The US-led coalition against so-called Islamic State (IS) confirmed Saturday that an investigation has been opened into the death of at least 200 people in west Mosul, Iraq, on March 17.
The US carries out the vast majority of the air strikes in Iraq, at the request of the Iraqi army.
US and international media reports have been circulating this week suggesting the US may be behind the deaths of somewhere between 200-300 Iraqi civilians, making this one of the deadliest attacks by an army in modern warfare. The reports all cite interviews with Iraqi families, some who said they lost more than a dozen family members in the attack.
The Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) "takes all allegations of civilian casualties seriously and a formal Civilian Casualty Credibility Assessment has been opened to determine the facts surrounding this strike and the validity of the allegation of civilian casualties," the coalition said in a statement.
"Our goal has always been for zero civilian casualties, but the Coalition will not abandon our commitment to our Iraqi partners because of IS's inhuman tactics terrorizing civilians, using human shields, and fighting from protected sites such as schools, hospitals, religious sites and civilian neighborhoods," it continued.
"The Coalition issues a monthly civilian casualty report press release with results of credible and non-credible allegations, and those still pending assessment," the statement concluded.
Meanwhile, air strikes against IS targets continued in Iraq and Syria Friday, the CJTF-OIR daily report showed.
In Iraq, six strikes "consisting of 46 engagements" hit alleged IS targets near Mosul and Tal Afar, the report showed.
In Syria, eight strikes "consisting of nine engagements" hit alleged IS targets near Abu Kamal, Ar Raqqah, and Tabqah, the report said. (end) ys.bs