US air strike in Mosul kills at least 105 civilians

[Kami Love]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/mosul-us-air-strike-civilian-deaths-pentagon-latest-toll-a7755866.html#gallery

 

A Pentagon investigation has found more than 100 civilians were killed in a US bombing in Mosul, Iraq, in March, making it one of the largest incidents of civilian death since the US air campaign against Isis began in 2014.

The military reports 101 civilians in the building were killed, and another four died in a nearby building. Thirty-six civilians remain unaccounted for.

The deaths represent about a quarter of all civilian deaths since the US air campaign began.

“The coalition takes every feasible measure to protect civilians from harm,†he added. “The best way to protect civilians is to defeat Isis."“Our condolences go out to all those that were affected,†said Maj Gen Joe Martin, commanding general of the Combined Joint Forces Land Component Command – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJFLCC-OIR).

The CJFLCC-OIR’s investigation was triggered by international outcry over reports of large-scale civilian deaths following the 17 March bombing.

Critics claim the US has been too aggressive in bombing congested areas like Mosul. The major Iraqi city – and last Isis city stronghold – has a population of more than 660,000.

The incident generated backlash strong enough to halt the Iraqi government forces' six-month advance into Mosul.

 

 

“It’s a time for weighing new offensive plans and tactics. No combat operations are to go on," a federal police spokesman said at the time. A new plan for defeating Isis, commissioned by President Donald Trump in January, has not been detailed to the public.

The newly released Pentagon report, however, casts blame for the casualties on Isis.

According to the report, the US bomb was intended to destroy only the top floor of the building. But the bomb triggered secondary explosions from devices planted in the building by Isis fighters, causing the concrete building to collapse.

The military cites an analysis of the building’s debris, which found materials common to Isis-made bombs, but not found in the GBU-38.

Air Force Brig Gen Matthew Isler says American-led forces dropped the bomb under request from Iraqi Counter-terrorism Services. The counter-terrorism forces were reportedly facing gunfire from two Isis snipers.

Coalition aircraft responded to the calls for assistance with a 500-pound, GBU-38 precision-guided bomb.

“The weapon appropriately balanced the military necessity of neutralising the snipers with the potential for collateral damage,†Brig Gen Isler said. 

 

 

The US has increasingly turned to air strikes to access snipers in the densely populated area. According to the Airwars.org, US-led air strikes in Iraq and Syria have killed a record number of civilians under Mr Trump.

The site, which tracks civilian casualties from air strikes in the Middle East, claims the CJFLCC-OIR has carried out 12,755 air strikes in Iraq to date.

International humanitarian law bars combatants from imperilling civilian lives through “indiscriminate use of firepower,†according to Lise Grande, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Iraq.

A spokesperson for the US-led Operation Inherent Resolve defended the US’s tactics in March.

“Our goal has always been for zero civilian casualties, but the coalition will not abandon our commitment to our Iraqi partners because of Isis’s inhuman tactics terrorising civilians, using human shields, and fighting from protected sites such as schools, hospitals, religious sites and civilian neighbourhoods," he said.

[Clay]

...

[KAI PARKER]

I hate this world , and as always no one will bring this out in the media after .

[Susu]

omg 

[jeong jaehyuns boyfriend]

the US is just as big of a terrorist as ISIS.

[Binggeul✯☽]

Let's see if the world will say pray for Iraq now......

[Thot7]

Fuck drones and air strikes! 

[Mogwai]

Wouldn't be surprising if this air strike was ordered by incompetent higher ups who gave the wrong coordinates or something and now their grunts will have to clean up their mess. So many innocent lives lost just like that. RIP.

[STORM]

the US is just as big of a terrorist as ISIS.

 

Oh the US is much bigger  ISIS was created by US too. 

[NINI]

Let's see if the western media will say pray for Iraq now......

[otter.]

Oh the US is much bigger  ISIS was created by US too. 

 

[Jcey]

Imagine the horror, sadness, shock and anger of the families, friends and relatives of the civilians that died that day. Sometimes I see news like these and think...ah...I can see why people can join the "terrorists".  Violence like these are enough to get any normal people twisted. Revenge and anger doesn't end Violence. It may fuel it even more. Therefore more innocent life will be lost... Probably more hate will arise. 

Sometimes I wonder how we can end all these. What is the end to the violence and endless loss of innocent lives? 

[doki-doki]

I hate this World :/ may they rest in peace.

[missycin]

 

 

Maybe go back further when GWB invaded Iraq for a totally invented reason.

[bananabrows]

According to the report, the US bomb was intended to destroy only the top floor of the building. But the bomb triggered secondary explosions from devices planted in the building by Isis fighters, causing the concrete building to collapse.

Right but there's no way they didn't account for this when deciding whether or not to bomb 

[Singsdoto]

US need to do that to showing up their power. To show their power they need enemy.

[Aquamaraqua]

Let's see if the world will say pray for Iraq now......

Don't count on it. This type of thing is normal for some countries so people get used to it pretty quickly. If it's not Caucasians being killed no one cares in the west.

[Lil Ayy Big Gay]

Nice to see Trump take after Obama after he said he wouldnt do this kind of shit

Trumpkins grill Obama for his airstrikes all the time but he's cut from the same bloody war hawkish cloth.

[Mystic]

Thousands of innocent civilians and children have been killed in these countries because of airstrikes, but for some fucking reason you hardly ever see anything about it trending on Twitter... #prayfortheworld my ass...

[missycin]

I sometimes wonder if something could really be done? 

[PinkWhale]

Let's see if the world will say pray for Iraq now......

They wont, Iraq is not white 

[Asimov]

"we send our condolences"

 

how dare you. get on your knees and beg for their forgiveness. the arrogance. couldn't even say "I'm sorry."

 

Humans are not meant to lead this world. Because those in power always kill the weak.

[ChungJoJo]

Meanwhile in Syria....

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Neoui Oppa]

Nice to see Trump take after Obama after he said he wouldnt do this kind of shit

Trumpkins grill Obama for his airstrikes all the time but he's cut from the same bloody war hawkish cloth.

Obama literally dropped 26,171 bombs in the Middle East last year alone. I don't see how you can compare that to this.

[Mystery Survivor]

An unfortunate fact is that isis is using civilians as human shields so before this ends we will see a lot more of these kinds deaths.