U.S. airstrike kills nearly 60 Syrian civilians after mistaking them for ISIS fighters
More than 60 Syrian civilians were reportedly killed Tuesday by a U.S. airstrike, The Telegraph reports. The victims, including children as young as 3 years old, were trying to flee an Islamic State-controlled region of northern Syria, and comprised roughly eight families. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the U.S. likely carried out the airstrikes in error after mistaking the civilians for militants.
The city of Manbij is an ISIS stronghold where more than 450 airstrikes have taken place since the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS began attacks there in May. While retaking the city from the Islamic State would be a major victory, ISIS militants are reportedly using thousands of civilians in the city as "human shields" to protect themselves.
In a separate attack carried out Sunday, the U.S.-led coalition also reportedly killed six civilians, "including a woman with four of her children and an old man."
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Update July 20: An earlier version of this article reflected initial reports that 85 civilians had been killed in the airstrike. This post has been updated to reflect the new estimate.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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