The United States is reviewing allegations from an independent group in Syria after the group said a U.S.-led coalition airstrike on an Islamic State-run jail in eastern Syria killed nearly 60 people, many of them believed to be civilian prisoners.
U.S. military officials said the coalition "mission was meticulously planned and executed to reduce the risk of collateral damage and potential harm to non-combatants."
“The coalition's goal is always for zero human casualties. We apply rigorous standards to our targeting process and take extraordinary efforts protect non-combatants," Maj Adrian Rankine-Galloway told VOA.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Tuesday a coalition airstrike on the IS prison in the eastern Syrian town of al-Mayadeen killed 57 people.
As the de-facto IS capital of Raqqa has come under increasing pressure in recent days, Islamic State reportedly has moved most of its leadership to al-Mayadeen.
Col. Joe Scrocca, a spokesman for the coalition, told Reuters the jail was targeted to disrupt “ISIS's ability to facilitate and provoke terrorist attacks against the coalition, our partner forces and in our homelands.”
