Tuesday, March 28, 2017

U.S. Defense Secretary Mattis Responds To Questions On US Bombing Civilians In ISIS-Held Iraq

Smoke rises from the old city during a battle against Islamic State militants, in Mosul, Iraq, March 26, 2017. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal

Business Insider: Mattis had the perfect response when asked about the US bombing civilians in ISIS-held Iraq

Recent reports out of ISIS's final Iraqi stronghold, Mosul, indicate at least 100 civilians died in airstrikes almost certainly carried out by the US-led coalition's air campaign against the terror group.

While the Pentagon has denied loosening its rules of engagement, an Associated Press report last month quoted a spokesman for the coalition, Air Force Col. John Dorrian, as saying US operators no longer needed to clear airstrikes with a Baghdad office, empowering coalition forces to more easily call in airstrikes.

Business Insider reported that although the rules of engagement had not changed, procedures leading up to strikes had, so any coalition forces on the ground had a freer hand to call in airstrikes.

This adjustment in tactics seems to have had grave results.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I do not know if it is the perfect response, but here is U.S. Defense Secretary Mattis statement .... 

.... "There is no military force in the world that has proven more sensitive to civilian casualties, we go out of our way to always do everything humanly possible to reduce the loss of life or injury among innocent people. The same cannot be said for our adversaries."

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