Small Wars Journal

US Admits Coalition Air Strike Against Syrian Military Position

Sat, 09/17/2016 - 8:19pm

US Admits Coalition Air Strike Against Syrian Military Position - AFP

The Pentagon admitted the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria may have struck Syrian military positions inside the country on Saturday after Russia accused it of killing at least 62 Syrian troops.

"Coalition forces believed they were striking a Daesh fighting position," Central Command, known as Centcom, said in a statement, using an alternate term for the IS group. "The coalition air strike was halted immediately when coalition officials were informed by Russian officials that it was possible the personnel and vehicles targeted were part of the Syrian military."

The United States "regrets" the death of Syrian troops, a senior US administration official said.

Washington has "relayed our regret through the Russian Federation for the unintentional loss of life of Syrian forces," he said…

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