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U.S. military aircraft are thought to have mistaken Iraqi army outposts for Islamic State group militants during their strikes against the terrorist group Friday.
Iraqi Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi said in a news conference that coalition forces were supporting ground troops near Fallujah, a Sunni city 50 kilometers from Baghdad, when the U.S. aircraft mistook allied soldiers for militants.
“The coalition air forces were covering the advance of army ground troops near Fallujah because the Iraqi army helicopters were not able to fly due to the bad weather. The final death toll of the strike is nine soldiers killed, including an army officer,” Obeidi said.
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Information from the ministry suggests that Iraqi troops were engaged in a ground battle with Islamic State group jihadists and requested support from coalition aircraft who took out some of the enemy during close combat.
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An Iraqi militiaman securing a camp for internally displaced Iraqis from the province of Anbar. By @mo_sawaf #AFP pic.twitter.com/NBflhcNXg7
— AFP Photo Department (@AFPphoto)
December 17, 2015
“The coalition conducted two strikes aimed at the enemy, which resulted in significant losses among the enemy,” a statement said. “That allowed our forces to achieve quick progress and clash with the enemy in close combat.”
“A third coalition strike carried out without taking into account the distance that had been covered resulted in injuries among our forces too,” said the statement.
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On Saturday, a spokesperson for the U.S.-led coalition conceded that the strikes are likely to have “resulted in the death of Iraqi soldiers” but said that all of their airstrikes against the Islamic State group “are conducted with the approval of the government.”
One Iraqi soldier told The Washington Post that “the explosion was very big. We ran. I saw many dead bodies. I saw that one of my friends had lost a leg.”
Local reports say the injured were taken to Yarmouk hospital in Baghdad, where chaotic scenes unfolded as soldiers and family members crammed the entrance and hallways.Iraq’s 3rd Division 55th Brigade have been advancing on Islamic State group outposts in the province of Anbar, a major stronghold, in a bid to regain control of the area.
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