Just in:
Lisboeta Macau’s world first LINE FRIENDS PRESENTS CASA DE AMIGO and BROWN & FRIENDS CAFE & BISTRO has officially opened // Arvind Kejriwal Was Used By BJP In 2011 Movement To Take On The Congress // AIA Hong Kong Wins More Than 20 Accolades at MPF Ratings MPF Awards, BENCHMARK MPF of The Year Awards and Bloomberg Businessweek Top Fund Awards // 2024 Lok Sabha Election Is A Historic Battle Against The Advent Of Fascism In India // Court Sides with Coinbase on Wallet Service, But Staking Program Remains in Limbo // No running of govt from jail, says Delhi Lt Governor // HSBC Streamlines Gold Investment for Hong Kong Residents with Tokenized Product // In Lok Sabha Polls In Punjab, AAP Is Advantageously Placed As Against Its Three Rivals // Arvind Kejriwal Gets International Heft Against The Deshi Vishwaguru // Party Nominees Refusing To Contest: Major Perception Threat For BJP // Ajman Celebrates Conclusion of Ramadan Activities with Grand Ceremony // Renewables Surge Sets Record, But Global Equity Lags // German Job Market Resilience Bodes Well for Economic Recovery // Universal Language for Healthcare: General Authority Embraces Global Coding System // Emirates Post Speeds Up Deliveries for GCC with Special Day // AI Boost for Galaxy Devices: Samsung Expands One UI 6.1 Update // Experts come together to support updating the city’s nature conservation masterplan // Experience Ultimate Shopping Freedom at 4.4 Shopee Spree: Don’t Worry, Shop Shopee! // Meta Earth Official Website Launch: The Pioneer Explorer in the Modular Public Blockchain Domain // Superland Announced Annual Results for 2023, 2023 Net Profit Increased approximately 39.5% to approximately HK$22.2 million as Compared to the 2022 Adjusted One //
HomeNewsbox‘Unintentional’ Human Error Led to Airstrikes on Syrian Troops, Pentagon Says

‘Unintentional’ Human Error Led to Airstrikes on Syrian Troops, Pentagon Says

1480209419 t logo 291 black

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon on Tuesday blamed “unintentional” human mistakes for the American-led airstrikes in September that killed dozens of Syrian government troops. The attacks were conducted under the “good-faith belief” that the targets were Islamic State militants, according to the official inquiry.

The investigation, led by an Air Force general, concluded that the strikes did not violate the law of armed conflict or the rules for the American military. Danish, British and Australian forces also participated in the strikes.

ADVERTISEMENT

“In my opinion, these were a number of people all doing their best to do a good job,” said Brig. Gen. Richard A. Coe, the officer who led the investigation.

At the time, the Russians, who have been working closely with the forces of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria to fight the Islamic State and other rebels, said the attack had killed 62 Syrian troops and wounded more than 100.

Russia said the strikes had enabled the Islamic State to capture more territory. The Syrian government said they were “a very serious and flagrant aggression” and accused the United States of supporting the Islamic State in its efforts to overthrow Mr. Assad.

The strikes occurred as a deal to ease hostilities in Syria, brokered by the United States and Russia, was unraveling. They undercut American efforts to reduce violence and further exposed the challenges faced by the Obama administration in Syria.

According to a redacted copy of a report that summarized the investigation, a drone examined an area near an airfield in Deir al-Zour Province in eastern Syria on Sept. 16, identifying a tunnel entrance, two tents and 10 men. The forces were not wearing recognizable military uniforms or identification flags, and there were no other signs of their ties to the government, the inquiry found.

“In many ways, these forces looked and acted like the Daesh forces the coalition has been targeting for the last two years,” General Coe said, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State.

“Human factors like ‘confirmation bias,’ ‘improper labeling’ and ‘invalid assumptions’ resulted in labeling of individuals as Islamic State of Iraq and Levant forces early in the process, which colored later analysis and resulted in continuing misidentification of the forces on the ground,” the United States Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East, said in a statement.

The next day, drones and jets were deployed to attack the airfield. They began hitting tanks and armored vehicles. In all, 34 precision guided missiles were dropped on the Syrian forces.

An hour after the strikes began, the Russians informed the United States that the coalition was attacking Syrian forces. Four minutes later, the strikes were halted.

The investigation laid out a series of changes to the targeting process that the military has already made, including more information-sharing among analysts. The Air Force is also reviewing its process for identifying targets.

“In this instance, we did not rise to the high standard we hold ourselves to, and we must do better than this each and every time,” said Lt. Gen. Jeffrey L. Harrigian, the commander of the Air Forces within the Central Command.

Continue reading the main story

NYtimes

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT
Just in:
Hope for Respite as UAE Endorses UN Plea for Gaza Truce // Court Sides with Coinbase on Wallet Service, But Staking Program Remains in Limbo // Arvind Kejriwal Was Used By BJP In 2011 Movement To Take On The Congress // The World’s First & Wettest Party: “S2O Hong Kong Songkran Music Festival” proudly returns Get an immersive water and music experience on 8-9 June during Dragon Boat Festival long weekend at Central Harbourfront Event Space! // Universal Language for Healthcare: General Authority Embraces Global Coding System // Experience Ultimate Shopping Freedom at 4.4 Shopee Spree: Don’t Worry, Shop Shopee! // Emirates Post Speeds Up Deliveries for GCC with Special Day // AIA Hong Kong Wins More Than 20 Accolades at MPF Ratings MPF Awards, BENCHMARK MPF of The Year Awards and Bloomberg Businessweek Top Fund Awards // Ajman Celebrates Conclusion of Ramadan Activities with Grand Ceremony // Sunshine’s Debut Features Leave Tech World Scratching Its Head // Experts come together to support updating the city’s nature conservation masterplan // Party Nominees Refusing To Contest: Major Perception Threat For BJP // AI Boost for Galaxy Devices: Samsung Expands One UI 6.1 Update // Infineon and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering jointly develop ship electrification technology // Lisboeta Macau’s world first LINE FRIENDS PRESENTS CASA DE AMIGO and BROWN & FRIENDS CAFE & BISTRO has officially opened // Superland Announced Annual Results for 2023, 2023 Net Profit Increased approximately 39.5% to approximately HK$22.2 million as Compared to the 2022 Adjusted One // Konica Minolta is named ASEAN 2023 Market Leader in Colour Light and Mid Digital Production Printers // Andertoons by Mark Anderson for Thu, 28 Mar 2024 // 2024 Lok Sabha Election Is A Historic Battle Against The Advent Of Fascism In India // In Lok Sabha Polls In Punjab, AAP Is Advantageously Placed As Against Its Three Rivals //