“The strike was requested by the partnered forces, who had identified the target location as an ISIS fighting position,” reads the statement. “The target location was actually a forward Syrian Democratic Forces fighting position.”
The strike took place on Tuesday, April 11 south of Tabqa where the SDF has been making gains against ISIS in their campaign to isolate Raqqa.
“The Coalition’s deepest condolences go out to the members of the SDF and their families. The Coalition is in close contact with our SDF partners who have expressed a strong desire to remain focused on the fight against ISIS despite this tragic incident,” the statement concluded, adding that it will “implement appropriate safeguards to prevent similar incidents in the future.”
The SDF released a statement Thursday afternoon, calling the incident a “tragic accident.” They are coordinating with the coalition to investigate the strike and prevent a re-occurrence.
The SDF reported that 17 of their members were killed in the strike.
Early Thursday morning, the SDF announced the commencement of the fourth phase of their operation to liberate Raqqa from ISIS. The phase will focus on ousting the extremist group from the countryside north of the city of Raqqa and the valley of Jalab “and to remove the last obstacles in front of us, to prepare for the liberation of the city of al-Raqqa and the completion of the siege with encirclement of the terrorists.”
The operation will be carried out by the SDF with the “direct support” of the global anti-ISIS coalition, the statement from the operation command detailed.
The SDF urged civilians in the area to cooperate with their forces and avoid ISIS positions in order to ensure their safety.
