US air strike in Syria kills nearly 60 civilians 'mistaken for Isil fighters'
Syrian families, who
fled the assault launched by Arab and Kurdish forces against Isil
fighters in the town of Manbij, arrive at an encampment on the outskirts
of the town Credit:
AFP
A US air strike killed nearly 60
civilians, including children, in Syria on Tuesday after the coalition
mistook them for Islamic State (Isil) fighters.
Some eight families were hit as they tried to flee fighting in their area,
in one of the single deadliest strikes on civilians by the alliance
since the start of its operations in the war-torn country.
Pictures of the aftermath of the dawn strikes on the Isil-controlled
village of Tokhar near Manbij in northern Syria showed the bodies of
children as young as three under piles of rubble.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes
appeared to have been carried out in error, with the civilians mistaken
for Islamist militants.
