The United States military has found enough credible information to begin a formal investigation into allegations that USA -led coalition air strikes killed civilians on July 19 in Syria, a spokesman for the coalition fighting Islamic State, Colonel Chris Garver, said on Wednesday.
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At least 35 civilians were killed by fresh US -led airstrikes near a town controlled by the Islamic State (IS) group in northern Syria, a pan-Arab TV reported Friday.
He said he is awaiting clarification from Russian authorities about the plan, noting the urgent situation in the city, wracked by devastating violence in recent months.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 56 civilians, including 11 children, died as they fled from a village near Manbij, a strategic waypoint between Turkey and the jihadist stronghold of Raqa.
“Airstrikes by global coalition fighter jets after midnight (Thursday morning) on the town of Ghandoura killed at least 15 civilians and wounded dozens”, said the monitoring group’s head, Rami Abdel Rahman.
A US-backed Kurdish and Arab alliance, known as the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), has been fighting Islamic State in northern Syria with the support of air strikes by a US-led coalition.
“There has been a lot of pressure on the militants in Manbij”, he said.
The attack also left around 100 other people injured, who were then taken to hospitals in Daesh-controlled cities of al-Bab and Jarabulus, northeast of Aleppo city, according to the same source. Local and outside activists described the horrific aftermath of a coalition bombing run against the village of Tokkhar, outside Manbij, earlier this week.
“This of course will have the added benefits of helping the security of our Jordanian partners and further splitting the Syria theater of operation from the Iraqi theater of operation”, Carter said.
According to the USA -led anti-Islamic State coalition, the Syrian Arab Coalition, or SAC, called in an airstrike against IS buildings and vehicles after observing a convoy of armed IS fighters who appeared to be readying for a counterattack against SAC troops who were nearby.
Syrian state TV said government warplanes carried out an airstrike in the same area, also claiming a senior Islamist militant had been killed without naming him.
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It was not clear if the Manbij-area strikes that CENTCOM cited involved strikes on al-Ghandour.
