Coalition kills 18 US-backed Syrian fighters "unintentionally"

WASHINGTON, April 13 (KUNA) -- The US-led coalition against the so-called Islamic State (IS) issued a statement Thursday saying it unintentionally killed 18 members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in an air strike earlier this week.
The strike was meant to target IS fighters south of Tabqah on April 11, the Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) said.
"The strike was requested by the partnered forces, who had identified the target location as an [IS] fighting position. The target location was actually a forward Syrian Democratic Forces fighting position," the statement affirmed. "The Coalition's deepest condolences go out to the members of the SDF and their families. The Coalition is in close contact with our SDF partners who have expressed a strong desire to remain focused on the fight against [IS] despite this tragic incident," the statement continued. CJTF-OIR noted it is "assessing the cause of the incident and will implement appropriate safeguards to prevent similar incidents in the future." Meanwhile, the daily air strikes against IS continued in both Syria and Iraq on Wednesday.
In Syria, the coalition launched seven strikes "consisting of 21 engagements" near Raqqah, according to the CTF-OIR report.
In Iraq, the coalition launched nine strikes "consisting of 79 engagements" near Bayji, Mosul, Rawah, and Tal Afar, the report said. (end) ys.msa