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Pentagon to investigate airstrikes in Syria that killed dozens of civilians

Lloyd Austin
Posted at 8:23 PM, Nov 29, 2021
and last updated 2021-11-29 22:23:27-05

The Pentagon announced Monday that will investigate the March 2019 airstrikes that occurred in Syria, which left more than 60 civilians dead.

The investigation comes after The New York Times reported on efforts to bury a report into the airstrikes in Al-Baghuz Fawqani.

The Pentagon says the airstrikes were part of U.S. and Syrian Democratic Forces to cripple ISIS in Syria.

"The inquiry will include an assessment of the following things: the civilian casualties that resulted from the incident; compliance with the law of war; record-keeping and reporting procedures; whether mitigation measures identified in previous investigations into the incident were in fact implemented effectively; whether accountability measures would be appropriate; and finally whether authorities, procedures or processes should be altered," said John Kirby, spokesperson for the Pentagon.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin tapped Michael Garrett, the head of Army Forces Command, to lead the investigation. During that process, Garrett will also look at previous reports.

The New York Times reports an inspector general report on civilian casualties was given to members of Congress in the spring, but it did not mention the incident in Al-Baghuz.