The Pentagon has begun an investigation into whether airstrikes last week in Syria may have killed civilians.
The Pentagon said the April 30 airstrikes in the town of Bir Mahli, near Kobani, “destroyed several [Islamic State] fighting positions and struck “more than 50 [Islamic State] fighters,” said Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren. “As of right now we have nothing to indicate that any civilians were present during those airstrikes.”
The Associated Press reported this weekend that 52 civilians were killed in the attacks, citing the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
U.S. Central Command “is assessing the credibility of the claims … and has begun” the steps required to open a formal investigation, Warren said.
According to the Joint Task Force statement on the airstrikes, coalition and fighter aircraft made three strikes in that run, hitting a tactical unit, four fighting positions and an armored vehicle.
