U.S. Military to Investigate Civilian Casualties in Mosul Strikes

The U.S. military on Saturday acknowledged that it carried out air strikes in West Mosul last week, when as many as 200 Iraqi civilians were reportedly killed. The U.S. Central Command said in a statement late Friday that “an initial review of strike data ... indicates that, at the request of the Iraqi security forces, the coalition struck (IS) fighters and equipment, March 17, in West Mosul at the location corresponding to allegations of civilian casualties.” An investigation has now been opened to “determine the facts surrounding this strike and the validity of the allegation of civilian casualties.” Col. John J. Thomas, a spokesman for the United States Central Command, told the New York Times the military was hoping to determine whether the civilians were killed by the air strikes or a bomb placed by the Islamic State. “It’s a complicated question, and we’ve literally had people working nonstop throughout the night to understand it,” Thomas was cited as saying, adding that the incident had “gotten attention at the highest level.” Residents said up to 200 civilians were killed by air strikes, and if that figure is confirmed to have been caused by an air strike, it would be the highest civilian death toll caused by U.S. operations since the war in Iraq began in 2003.