US Pentagon Admits To Civilian Deaths After ISIS Airstrikes; ISIS 'Responsible' For Texas Attack
The United States has admitted to hitting civilians during its bombing campaign against ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria. After U.S. officials have previously said there were no civilian casualties during the airstrikes, the results of an internal military investigation had proven otherwise.
Two U.S. defence officials told the Daily Beast that two civilians were killed after a U.S.-led coalition airstrike. The findings of the internal military investigation prompted the U.S. forces to acknowledge that civilians have been hit with the airstrikes since they began pounding ISIS targets nine months ago.
The international coalition against ISIS has launched more than 3,500 airstrikes and destroyed or caused heavy damage to over 6,000 targets, according to the U.S. Defence Department. With no U.S. troops on the ground to assess the damage from bombing campaigns, the coalition only relies on U.S. intelligence gathered from satellites, drones and local ground forces.
More Civilian Deaths Investigated
U.S. Central Command officials who handled the investigation are expected to release the details of the investigation as early as within the week. Defence officials had declined to say more about their findings.
The acknowledgment of two civilian deaths follows the allegations of one human rights group that accused the coalition of killing as much as 64 civilians on April 30 in the Syrian village of Bir Mahli. Previous reports have indicated that the U.S. military has denied the allegations and said there was no evidence.
CENTCOM officials previously said they were investigating claims of civilian deaths from Aug. 8, 2014 to the middle of March in 2015. “We will make additional information about the investigation available when the process is complete,” said the officials. They reiterated that the coalition remains committed to reduce civilian casualties.
ISIS Claims Responsibility For Texas Attack
Meanwhile, a Twitter account that posted about a Texas attack minutes before it happened has been suspended. An account that supported Islamic extremism was shut down by Twitter before two gunmen opened fire at a cartoon competition in Texas, U.S.
The post said the user and his “bro” had pledged allegiance to the “commander of the faithful,” a possible reference to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, with the hashtag #texasattack, reports The Guardian. Police said they have received first reports of gunfire at the Carter Culwell Centre in Garland.
The two men drove to the venue where the American Freedom Defence Initiative were hosting the ‘draw the prophet Muhammad’ exhibition and contest, and opened fire on an unarmed guard. The men were killed by the police. Police have yet to release the names of the gunmen involved in the attack. ISIS supporters on Twitter have claimed the two men were loyal to ISIS and the group claimed responsibility for the attack.
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