The United States has confirmed that a coalition strike led by them in Iraq had killed more than 200 civilians in Mosul last week, reported Reuters. The air strikes were targeted at Islamic State fighters. The confirmation came on Saturday after the Iraqi government decided to suspend their offensive following reports about the civilian deaths.
The US administration said “an initial review of strike data” indicated that an airstrike was carried out “at the location corresponding to allegations of civilian casualties”. The coalition “takes all allegations of civilian casualties seriously and a formal Civilian Casualty Credibility Assessment has been opened to determine the facts surrounding the strike”, reported BBC.
The airstrikes took place in Mosul al-Jadida district on March 17. The US military has initiated a probe into the incident, which is still unclear. Some reports suggested that several people were killed after residential buildings collapsed when an airstrike hit an explosive-filled truck. The local administration said that 240 bodies were pulled out from the the rubble of collapsed buildings. The United Nations said it was “stunned by this terrible loss of life”.
The fight to take back the western Mosul from the Islamic State group started in February. The coalition forces said teh assault was launched to the free the over 6,50,000 civilians trapped in the city. Islamic State fighters have used civilians as human shields during past battles.
The city, which the Islamic State group has held control of since 2014, is its last major stronghold in the country. The international fraternity has expressed confidence that taken back the control of the region would deal a strong blow to the group’s designs.
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