A misdirected coalition airstrike mistakenly killed 18 members of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces on Tuesday, the U.S. military said on Thursday.
The strike occurred south of Tabqah as the coalition and Syrians were fighting the Islamic State, according to a release from U.S. Central Command.
The release said the “partnered forces” had requested the strike, which was believed to be an Islamic State fighting position, but was actually occupied by the SDF.
“The Coalition’s deepest condolences go out to the members of the SDF and their families,” the statement said. “The Coalition is in close contact with our SDF partners who have expressed a strong desire to remain focused on the fight against ISIS despite this tragic incident.”
As on Thursday, the spokesman for the U.S. mission fighting ISIS denied reports that a coalition strike on an ISIS warehouse created a chemical leak near Deir Ezzor in Syria. Russia state-backed media reported that the accusation came from the Syrian General Staff and proves that ISIS has chemical weapons. The media also said Russia was sending drones to the area to monitor the situation.
But Air Force Col. John Dorrian tweeted that those reports are “Intentional misinformation…again!”
.@OIRSpox has seen the reports from SANA alleging @CJTFOIR strikes near Deir Ezzor Weds–not true! Intentional misinformation…again!
— OIR Spokesman (@OIRSpox) April 13, 2017
