WASHINGTON — The U.S. military disclosed Tuesday that it is investigating alleged civilian casualties from two airstrikes in Syria and Iraq last year, and that it has dismissed 13 other allegations of civilian casualties from airstrikes.
Air Force Col. Patrick Ryder, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, said the command has considered 18 separate allegations that U.S.-led coalition airstrikes killed or wounded civilians between Aug. 8, 2014, when the U.S. launched its air campaign against Islamic State in Iraq, and Dec. 30.
Thirteen allegations were deemed unfounded — five involving airstrikes in Syria and eight in Iraq, he said. Of the five other allegations, three are still being assessed by Central Command, and two are under active investigation.
Ryder provided few details about the two cases under investigation. He said they involved a total of “fewer than five” alleged civilian casualties. He said one incident occurred in Iraq and the other in Syria.
“We take all allegations of civilian casualties seriously, and we apply very rigorous standards in our targeting process to prevent civilian casualties in the first place,” he said.
The fact that Central Command was investigating allegations of civilian casualties from its bombing campaign was first disclosed by the Pentagon’s press secretary, Rear Adm. John Kirby. Ryder later provided a lengthy written statement that revealed the number of allegations, the number of cases under active investigation and information about the investigative process.
