US-Led Coalition Acknowledges Its Airstrikes Killed Tens of Civilians in Manbej
BAGHDAD, (ST)- American Army Col Christopher Garver, the chief spokesman for the US-led anti-ISIS coalition, has acknowledged that the coalition airstrikes killed tens of civilians in the Syrian city of Manbej a few days ago.
Garver told reporters in a press conference in Baghdad, the Central Command in Baghdad was aware of reports of civilian casualties and is reviewing the incident, which could lead to a formal investigation.
He claimed that the airstrikes on Manbej targeted and destroyed ISIS positions, 12 of its vehicles and a command “node”.
He pointed out that later reports indicated the existence of civilians among the targeted ISIS terrorists and those civilians were used as “human shields”, as he said.
According to Garver, Isis was increasingly using civilians as human shields around Manbij, and suggested that could have been a factor in any deaths.
“The investigative process will provide details on this particular incident,” he pointed out without reference to a specified number of the civilian victims of the coalition air raids.
The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates on July 19th sent two identical letters to the UN Chief and President of the Security Council dealing with the massacre committed by the French warplanes working within the so-called US-led anti-terror Coalition against civilians in al-Toukhan al-Kubra village, north of Manbej city in Aleppo countryside and which claimed the lives of 120 civilians and wounded dozens others.
It added that the French aggression comes only a day after American warplanes committed a similar massacre against innocent people in Manbej city in Aleppo. More than 20 civilians were martyred and many others were wounded in the airstrikes.
The ministry called on the U.N. and the Security Council to condemn the French massacre and urged the Security Council to shoulder its responsibilities towards keeping international peace and security through adopting punitive measures against the countries and regimes that support and fund terrorism.
Hamda Mustafa