Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered an investigation into the March 2019 drone strike that killed civilians in Syria.
The strike occurred on March 18 of that year and killed 80 people, some of whom were civilians, though it was first reported by the New York Times roughly two weeks ago.
U.S. Central Command, which oversaw the aerial war campaign in Syria, acknowledged that 80 people were killed in the strike, including 16 fighters and four civilians. The status of the other 60 people was unclear.
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U.S. Army Forces Commander Gen. Michael Garrett was named to lead the investigation, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby announced Monday. He has 90 days to conclude his inquiry and submit his findings.
“The inquiry will include an assessment of the following things: the civilian casualties that resulted from the incident compliance with the law of war; record-keeping and reporting procedures; whether mitigation measures identified in previous investigations into the incident or in fact implemented effectively; whether accountability measures would be appropriate; and finally, whether authorities procedures or processes should be altered,” Kirby said.
Following the New York Times report of the strike, Austin was briefed on it by Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command.
“We abhor the loss of innocent life and take all possible measures to prevent them,” Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesman for CENTCOM, said in a statement at the time, according to the New York Times. “In this case, we self-reported and investigated the strike according to our own evidence and take full responsibility for the unintended loss of life.”
The inspector general’s report into the strike was stalled, and “leadership just seemed so set on burying this,” Gene Tate, an evaluator who worked on the case for the inspector general, told the outlet. “It makes you lose faith in the system when people are trying to do what’s right, but no one in positions of leadership wants to hear it.”
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Weeks ago, Austin signed off on a separate investigation into a more recent drone strike that resulted in the loss of civilian life.
U.S. Air Force Inspector General Lt. Gen. Sami D. Said investigated the Aug. 29 botched strike in Kabul, Afghanistan, that killed 10 civilians, including the target, who was later determined to be unaffiliated with any terror group. He concluded there were no illegalities with the strike, though he issued recommendations to prevent similar mistakes. Austin signed off on his conclusions.
