US says that strikes against Syrian Army in Deir Ezzor were ‘unintentional’

By Paul Antonopoulos

The US Defense Department has said that it's strikes against the Syrian Army in Deir Ezzor that killed over 80 soldiers in mid-Septemer was an “unintentional error” and did not violate international law.

The Pentagon made the claims in a statement on Tuesday, saying that the US-led coalition had launched the air raids based on wrong intelligence and as it was not a deliberate mistake, it would not constitute a breach of law.

"The evidence showed there was not a deliberate disregard of targeting procedures or the rules of engagement," the statement said.

The statement then went onto defend the legality of the deadly airstrikes.

“The decision to strike these targets was made in accordance with the law of armed conflict and the applicable rules of engagement," the statement continued.

“We made an unintentional, regrettable error, based on several factors in the targeting process,” said Richard Coe, US air force brigadier general and the investigating officer.

Coe claimed that during his six-week probe he found “no intent to target Syrian [government] forces”.

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