U.S. general: coalition takes Iraq civilian deaths allegations seriously

Reuters
U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Matthew Isler speaks with Reuters at the Qayyarah West Airfield, Iraq March 1, 2017. Picture taken March 1, 2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Iraq takes every allegation of civilian deaths seriously and Iraqi forces have been committed to protecting civilians in the advance on the militant stronghold of Mosul, a U.S. general said on Sunday. U.S. Brigadier General Matthew Isler, Deputy Commanding General Operation Inherent Resolve, said he could not provide details of the military investigation into civilian deaths in western Mosul on March 17. The U.S. military said on Saturday a U.S.-led coalition strike had hit an area where residents and officials say as many as 200 civilians may have been killed as result of an air raid. Iraq's military said on Sunday that 61 bodies were recovered from a collapsed building that Islamic State had booby-trapped. (Reporting by Deborah Lutterbeck; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Nick Zieminski)