Carter made his remarks, which were broadcast widely in USA media, while on a visit aboard the USS Kearsarge, an amphibious assault ship supporting coalition missions in Iraq and Syria against Islamic State group (IS) militants.
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“We will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the facts”, the statement said. Accor ding to the joint command, the incident occurred when Iraqi ground forces were advancing towards positions held by IS fighters south of Fallujah.
The BBC is reporting Iraq’s defence minister Khaled al-Obeidi has confirmed an air strike by the US-led coalition killed nine Iraqi soldiers, including an officer.
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. “Despite coordination with the Iraqi security forces on the ground, initial reports indicate the possibility one of the strikes resulted in the death of Iraqi soldiers”, a statement said on Friday.
This may mark the first friendly fire incident in Iraq for the US since airstrikes started, but it’s not actually the first for the coalition’s campaign.
Iraq’s attempts to regain territories from ISIL have been backed by a number of countries including Iran, the U.S., and several European states.
Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said in a statement that the secretary phoned Prime Minister Abadi on Saturday to pay condolences on the death of Iraqi security forces noting that both leaders agreed on a joint investigation into the case.
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U.S. Central Command issued a statement late Friday saying that one of its airstrikes may have killed 10 Iraqi soldiers. Carter later told reporters that the incident appeared to be “a mistake that involved both sides”. “The reason the battle took so long was to avoid casualties among our forces and also to avoid civilian casualties”, Obeidi said.
