The US military has completed initial assessments of an air strike that allegedly killed civilians in northwestern Syria last month and is now formally investigating the incident, a defense official said Wednesday.
It is the second such full probe to be launched after two US-led strikes near the Islamic State stronghold of Manbij in July allegedly left dozens of civilians dead.
The latest investigation is into a July 28 strike northwest of Manbij, which according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights killed at least 15 civilians.
"This incident has been found to be credible enough to warrant a formal investigation, which is under way," said Colonel Chris Garver, a spokesman for the US-led coalition fighting jihadists of the IS group in Iraq and Syria.
The US military's Central Command (Centcom) had already announced it was investigating a July 19 strike in a village called Al-Tukhar near Manbij in Aleppo province.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 56 civilians, including 11 children, were killed.
Garver told reporters the US military was aware of reports after the July 19 strike that ranged from 10 to 73 civilians killed.
"We thought it was on the lower end of the scale and not on the higher end," Garver said.
But allegations surrounding a third incident, on July 23 near Manbij, were deemed not credible, "because the (US-led coalition) did not conduct any strikes in that geographic location," Garver said.
In total, the US military has acknowledged killing 55 civilians since launching a coalition air war against the IS group two years ago, though critics say that is a dramatic underestimate.
The US military has completed initial assessments of an air strike that allegedly killed civilians in northwestern Syria last month and is now formally investigating the incident, a defense official said Wednesday.
It is the second such full probe to be launched after two US-led strikes near the Islamic State stronghold of Manbij in July allegedly left dozens of civilians dead.
The latest investigation is into a July 28 strike northwest of Manbij, which according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights killed at least 15 civilians.
“This incident has been found to be credible enough to warrant a formal investigation, which is under way,” said Colonel Chris Garver, a spokesman for the US-led coalition fighting jihadists of the IS group in Iraq and Syria.
The US military’s Central Command (Centcom) had already announced it was investigating a July 19 strike in a village called Al-Tukhar near Manbij in Aleppo province.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 56 civilians, including 11 children, were killed.
Garver told reporters the US military was aware of reports after the July 19 strike that ranged from 10 to 73 civilians killed.
“We thought it was on the lower end of the scale and not on the higher end,” Garver said.
But allegations surrounding a third incident, on July 23 near Manbij, were deemed not credible, “because the (US-led coalition) did not conduct any strikes in that geographic location,” Garver said.
In total, the US military has acknowledged killing 55 civilians since launching a coalition air war against the IS group two years ago, though critics say that is a dramatic underestimate.
