US military hid Syria air strikes that killed dozens of civilians, media report says

The two attacks in 2019 led to the deaths of up to 64 women and children, a possible war crime

The US military called the strikes ‘legitimate self-defence’, and said the victims could have been combatants as some, including at least one child, were armed

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A pair of US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles fly over northern Iraq in September 2014 after conducting air strikes in Syria. Photo: US Air Forces Central Command via AFP

Published: 6:58am, 14 Nov 2021Updated: 7:36pm, 14 Nov 2021

The US military covered up 2019 air strikes in Syria that killed up to 64 women and children, a possible war crime, during the battle against Islamic State, The New York Times reported on Saturday.

The two back-to-back air strikes near the town of Baghuz were ordered by a classified American special operations unit tasked with ground operations in Syria, according to the report.

The newspaper said that US Central Command, which oversaw US air operations in Syria, acknowledged the strikes for the first time this week and said they were justified.

In a statement on Saturday, Central Command reiterated the account it gave the newspaper that 80 people were killed in the strikes including 16 Islamic State fighters and four civilians. The military said it was unclear if the other 60 people were civilians, partly because women and children could have been combatants.

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) raise their flag atop a building in Baghuz after defeating the Islamic State in March 2019. Photo: Ronahi TV via AFP

In Saturday’s statement, the military said the strikes were “legitimate self-defence”, proportional and that “appropriate steps were taken to rule out the presence of civilians.”