U.S.-led strikes may have killed civilians, Pentagon says

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― The U.S. military is investigating several incidents in which civilians may have been killed in coalition air strikes against Islamic State jihadists in Iraq and Syria, officials said Tuesday.

The comments marked the first time the military has acknowledged that the air war may have exacted a toll on civilians.

U.S. Central Command, which is overseeing the air campaign, initially looked into 18 cases and concluded 13 were not credible but five merited further review, including one that occurred as recently as Dec. 26, defense officials told AFP.

“What I know is that Central Command is investigating several (of) what they believe to be credible allegations of civilian casualties,” Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. 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 U.S.-led air strikes, mainly in Syria.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in October that 32 civilians were killed after the first month of coalition strikes in Syria.