Pentagon confirms it killed Iraqi soldiers 'by mistake'

For some parts of the media this is the first mention of the airstrike on Iraqi positions which gave ISIS an advantage.

Radio New Zealand, for example had this headline, 

US mistakenly kills nine Iraq soldiers, mentioning the incident for the first time. Western media has made reference to the Iraqi position.

Pentagon: US strike that killed Iraqi soldiers could be 'mistake' by both sides

© / RT

RT,

26 November, 201

An airstrike by a US warplane that killed Iraqi soldiers could have resulted from "a mistake that involved both sides," the Pentagon chief said, according to AP.

"[Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi] and I agreed that this was an event that we both regretted and that there would be an investigation of it, but that these kinds of things happen when you're fighting side by side," US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said on Saturday.

The US said they are conducting an investigation into the incident, which was the first confirmed case of friendly fire since the US-led coalition started a bombing campaign against the terrorist group Islamic State in Iraq.

Earlier, Iraq's defense minister said nine servicemen were killed in the strike.

"The coalition air forces were covering the advance of army ground troops near Fallujah because the Iraqi army helicopters were not able to fly due to the bad weather. The final death toll of the strike is nine soldiers killed, including an army officer," Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi told a news conference.

The Iraqi military earlier reported one fatality in the incident, which happened some 65 kilometers west of Baghdad, and said nine others were injured. Soldiers involved in the incident told the media that as many as 25 troops could have been killed. Medical sources reported treating at least 20 injured in the wake of the airstrike.

Baghdad said the US mistake was likely due to Iraqi troops and their opponents having been close to each other at the time of the bombing.

“The distance between our forces and the enemy was very close, meters,” an Iraqi Defense Ministry statement said Friday. “Our forces got mixd.”

The assessment was questioned by an Iraqi officer, who was injured by the US airstrike.

“We were moving forward and Daesh were retreating, when suddenly the bombing took place on the forces that were behind us,” he said on condition of anonymity, using the Arabic abbreviation for Islamic State.

He added that the fact that senior officers got injured indicates that the airstrike didn't target the frontline.

The incident fuels suspicions in Iraq that the US-led coalition may be helping IS rather than fighting against it, a notion that is widespread in the country. Shiite militias, which are fighting against IS forces in Iraq, had suffered from American interventions that helped the terrorists in the past, militia commander Hakim al-Zamili told RT. Al-Zamili also heads the Iraqi parliament’s defense and security committee.

“We don't believe it was a technical mistake. We constantly see that the United States are trying to provide air cover to Islamic State. They are preventing us from making an offensive,” he said.

“I think everyone is now convinced that the United States is not sincere in its fight against Islamic State. Maybe they have another agenda. The Pentagon, the CIA and other agencies in the US are trying to make a [rift] between Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq,” he added. “They are trying to tear [apart] Iraq with the help of their allies like Turkey and the Gulf states.”

The Shia militias are fighting against IS with the help of instructors and officers from Iran. The US refuses to coordinate its combat missions in Iraq with Tehran. Some members of the US-led coalition, such as Saudi Arabia and Turkey, see Iran as an enemy and would oppose any cooperation with Tehran.

The attack on Iraqi troops is the second embarrassing incident for the US Air Force in recent months. In early October, American warplanes bombed a hospital run by the international aid organization Doctors Without Borders in Afghanistan city of Kunduz, killing at least 42 people. Amid widespread condemnation, Washington said the strike was a mistake and issued a presidential apology, a rare development for incident involving civilian casualties caused by US bombings.

For a bit of accurate context, see this - 

“If only we had an air force to provide air cover when we are fighting in the field.” Yesterday they got their wish (again).

‘ISIS Air Force’: US Airstrike Takes Out Battalion of Iraqi Troops Who Were Battling ISIS

21st Century Wire says…

ISIS terrorists have often lamented, “if only we had an air force to provide air cover when we are fighting in the field.” Yesterday they got their wish (again).

The dubious US-led ‘Anti-ISIL Coalition’ continues to spiral out of control. As Iraqi soldiers closed in on ISIS terrorists on the ground, a US airstrike struck their column – killing approximately 20 Iraqi soldiers and injuring at least 30 more (see full report below). Additional casualty reports could rise over the coming days.

According to Hakim al-Zamili, head of the Iraqi Parliament’s Security and Defense Committee, this latest incident is said to have occurred near Al-Naimiya in the Fallujah province, after the Iraqi troops freed “a strategically important area” from ISIS.

What was the US reaction to this dangerous move? Washington’s answer: “We’re looking into it.”

According to Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov:

“If they were not involved in that airstrike, than why are the Pentagon’s representatives, as leaders of the anti-ISIS coalition, hushing up the presence of their allies’ aircraft in the Deir ez-Zor region on December 6? Isn’t it because the [anti-ISIS] coalition air force gets all the information on Islamic State targets in Syria from the Pentagon?” he asked.

This is not the first time the US Air Force has targeted legal military forces fighting against ISIS and al Qaeda on the ground. Two weeks ago, the US did the same thing in Syria. RT International reports:

“Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry said four Western coalition warplanes had been spotted over the Deir ez-Zor area in Syria on December 6, when a Syrian Army camp came under attack. An airstrike on a field camp of the 168th Brigade of the 7th Division of the Syrian Army left four servicemen dead and 12 injured. It also destroyed three APCs and four vehicles bearing 12.7mm heavy machine guns.”

Since the US-led Anti-ISIS Coalition began 15 months ago, Washington claims to have been waging war against ISIS, but clearly that has not been the case – as the US-led effort has actually coincided with a massive increase in ISIS-held territory in both Iraq and Syria. One can only conclude here that the real US agenda was never to defeat ISIS and al Qaeda/al Nusra on the ground, but rather to facilitate their growth. The facts on the ground lead to this conclusion. It was only after Russia legally entered the Syrian Conflict on the side of the Syrian government and its army – that ISIS and al Qaeda positions began to rapidly recede in Syria. The facts on the ground lead to that conclusion as well.

It’s already confirmed – beyond any doubt – that US and NATO allies Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey are arming and funding al Qaeda (al Nusra) in Syria – this with the full knowledge and endorsement of Washington DC.

In addition, despite Washington’s denial of the facts, US lethal weapons and support are making it into the hands of ISIS and al Qaeda in Syria, and US ally Israel is also aiding terrorist fighters in Syria too.

Sadly, statements by US officials continue to languish in an imaginary zone of suspended disbelief and outright deception regarding Syria, and terrorist militants on the ground who are benefiting from the so-called US-led ‘Coalition’…

RT.com

A least 20 Iraqi soldiers have been killed and 30 injured in an airstrike carried out by the US military, Hakim al-Zamili, head of the Iraqi Parliament’s Security and Defense Committee, told Sputnik news agency.

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“The 55th brigade [of the Iraqi Army] was hit by the US aviation. More than 20 soldiers were killed and over 30 servicemen were wounded as a result of the airstrike,” Zamili said.

The incident occurred near the town of Al-Naimiya in the Fallujah province after the Iraqi troops had freed “a strategically important area” from the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants, he dded.

According to the official, who visited the site of the attack and personally talked to commanders and soldiers of the 55th brigade, the death toll may well rise, as many Iraqi soldiers were heavily injured.

The Americans carry out airstrikes with 100% precision… How could have they mistaken by kilometers?” he wondered.

READ MORE: ‘US-led coalition disjointed in fighting ISIS as some members have own plans’ – Iraq’s ex-PM

Zamili said “it’s very dangerous” that the Iraqi forces are being hit by airstrikes and that the country “won’t allow it” to happen again.

The MP called upon the Iraqi Prime Minister, Haider Al-Abadi, to carry out an immediate investigation into the airstrike.

According to the official, Iraq is going to go to court over the incident as “this crime mustn’t go unpunished.”

However, the Iraqi Army’s Command Centre in Baghdad, the capital, said the air the strike had caused fewer casualties and happened due to miscommunication and bad weather.

“We [Iraqi Forces Command] had demanded aerial support from the international coalition air force. The airstrike was launched without an update on the advance of the Iraqi forces and the coalition forces were unable to distinguish between the fighters on the ground due to bad weather,” it said.

According to the Iraqi military, one Iraqi army commander was killed and nine servicemen were injured in the airstrike.

A Pentagon representative told RIA Novosti they are looking into the report.

Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry said four Western coalition warplanes had been spotted over the Deir ez-Zor area in Syria on December 6, when a Syrian Army camp came under attack.

An airstrike on a field camp of the 168th Brigade of the 7th Division of the Syrian Army left four servicemen dead and 12 injured. It also destroyed three APCs and four vehicles bearing 12.7mm heavy machine guns.

The information about two pairs of warplanes, members of the US-led international anti-ISIS coalition, which were operating in the Deir ez-Zor area on the day of the attack, was announced by Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov.

“If they were not involved in that airstrike, than why are the Pentagon’s representatives, as leaders of the anti-ISIS coalition, hushing up the presence of their allies’ aircraft in the Deir ez-Zor region on December 6? Isn’t it because the [anti-ISIS] coalition air force gets all the information on Islamic State targets in Syria from the Pentagon?” he asked.

The US has been bombing IS positions in Iraq since August 2014. However, according to Iraq’s former PM Nouri al-Maliki, this campaign has been “unbelievably” ineffective in fighting the terror group.

“It’s unbelievable and unacceptable that more than 60 nations comprising this coalition that have the most modern aircraft and weapons at their disposal have been conducting their campaign in Iraq for 14 months and IS still remains in the country,” he told RT’s Arabic-language sister-channel Rusiya Al-Yaum in November.