Pentagon: Airstrikes against ISIS may have killed 59 civilians in Syria, Iraq

The Pentagon said Wednesday that over the course of seven months this year, U.S. airstrikes targeting Islamic State sites in Iraq and Syria likely killed 59 civilians and injured five others.

The U.S. began its air war against ISIS in 2014, and the summary released by the Pentagon said the 2016 airstrikes took place between March 5 and Sept. 10, with the deaths and injuries caused by civilians "entering the target area" after a weapon was released. Almost half of those killed were in or near Mosul, the last ISIS stronghold in Iraq. "We have teams who work full time to prevent unintended civilian casualties," Col. John Thomas, a military spokesman, said in a statement. "We do not want to add to the tragedy of the situation by inflicting additional suffering."

Human rights groups and activists say the Pentagon's number is far too low, and it's probable that more than 1,000 civilians have been killed or wounded in the 16,000 airstrikes launched against ISIS by the U.S. and allies since September 2014.

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