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Pentagon: US-Led Strikes May Have Killed Civilians
Local Editor
The US military is reviewing several incidents in which civilians may have been killed in coalition air strikes against the "ISIL" extremists in Iraq and Syria, officials said Tuesday.
The comments marked the first time the US military has acknowledged that the air war may have exacted a toll on civilians.
US Central Command, which is overseeing the air campaign, initially looked into 18 cases and concluded 13 were not credible but five merited further review.
Of those, two incidents - one in Iraq and one in Syria -- prompted formal investigations, military officials said.
The current probes involved one case that occurred as recently as December 26, officials said.
"What I know is that Central Command is investigating several (of) what they believe to be credible allegations of civilian casualties," Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby told reporters.
"This is something we always take seriously. We are very mindful of trying to mitigate the risk to civilians every time we operate, everywhere we operate."
His comments marked a shift as the Pentagon had insisted for months they had not confirmed any instance of civilian deaths from the bombing raids.
Human rights organizations, however, have previously reported that dozens of civilians have been killed in the US-led air strikes, mainly in Syria.
Allegations of possible civilian casualties had come from a range of sources including the military's own reviews and internal reporting, the State Department, and accounts by news media and non-governmental organizations, said Major Curtis Kellogg, a spokesman for US Central Command.
"A source is generally deemed to be credible if the source provides verifiable information, such as corroborating statements, photographs or documentation that can help us determine whether an allegation is founded," Kellogg said.
But the two formal investigations currently under way "are the direct result of our own internal review process and not the result of allegations received from outside of DoD ([he Department of Defense]," he said in a statement.
Investigations can cover areas including "technical, mechanical or human errors involved in the strikes," he claimed.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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