US-led coalition forces appear to have been responsible for air strikes that mistakenly killed several Iraqi soldiers, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Saturday.
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The helicopter carrying U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter arrives on the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in the Persian Gulf Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015.
U.S. Central Command issued a statement late Friday saying that one of its airstrikes may have killed 10 Iraqi soldiers.
“These kinds of things happen when you’re fighting side by side as we are”, Carter said.
“The Coalition offers condolences on the unfortunate loss of life of fearless Iraq security forces on the front lines in the fight against Daesh today”, said a statement issued by the headquarters for Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve.
“We are fully committed to the safety of our Iraqi partners while pursuing the destruction of our mutual enemies”, U.S. Central Command said.
A senior US defense official said there was fog in that area and that weather may have played a role in the incident. The American advisers and trainers who are assisting Iraqi troops work inside the confines of several large bases in Iraq, and do not go into the field to mentor Iraqi soldiers or call in airstrikes.
A third airstrike struck when the two sides were in close combat, resulting in casualties to both, it said.
Mr Carter met with Mr Obeidi this week during a brief visit to Baghdad to assess the state of the campaign against IS.
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ISIL made most of its gains in Iraq in the summer of 2014 during a rapid offensive that resulted in the government losing most of Anbar. IS fighters attacking from northwest of Ramadi with suicide auto bombs attempted to retake control of the key Palestine bridge in recent days but Iraqi forces still have the upper hand.
