NPR — An airstrike that was meant to target ISIS in Syria instead killed 18 Syrian Democratic Forces personnel because it was “misdirected,” U.S. Central Command said Thursday.
The strike Tuesday by an aircraft from the U.S.-led coalition was called in by American allies, the U.S. military says. It adds that the coalition is now studying what went wrong to prevent similar mistakes in the future.
“The strike was requested by the partnered forces, who had identified the target location as an ISIS fighting position,” the command said in a statement about the April 11 attack. “The target location was actually a forward Syrian Democratic Forces fighting position.”
Central Command said the coalition extends its “deepest condolences” to members of the SDF and their families, adding that members of that force “have expressed a strong desire to remain focused on the fight against ISIS despite this tragic incident.”
The strike took place south of Tabqa, Central Command says. That city is roughly 30 miles west of the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa.
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