Iraqi officials: civilian deaths were not a result of US air strikes

iStock/Thinkstock(MOSUL, Iraq) — Iraqi military officials are shooting down speculation that US air strikes killed hundreds of civilians according to a BBC News report. Instead, they say so-called Islamic State (IS) is responsible for the deaths of those civilians.

The US government announced Saturday it was investigating a March 17 air strike that targeted Mosul in response to allegations of civilian casualties. Iraq’s military believes explosive booby traps set off by IS are what caused the deaths.

Those who died were in west Mosul, where the offensive to retake from IS what was once Iraq’s second-largest city continues.

The US Central Command claimed it was looking into the allegations of civilian casualties after they determined an air strike was carried out on March 17 “at the location corresponding to allegations of civilian casualties”.

BBC reports that some media outlets indicated more than 200 bodies were pulled out of a collapsed building. However, the details of the allegations are somewhat inconsistent.

The Iraqi military released a statement on its Facebook page that denies the air strikes caused the civilian casualties in the neighborhood of al-Resala. It was reported that the air strike occurred in the neighborhood of Jadideh.

The statement continues that the military checked a house “reportedly targeted by an air strike and they found out that the house was completely destroyed and there was no sign that it was destroyed by a strike”.

A detonated booby-trapped vehicle was located by the house, according to BBC News, and the military says eyewitnesses claim IS used houses to fire at security forces.

Copyright © 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.

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