The Pentagon acknowledged Friday, April 22 that 20 civilians were killed in U.S. air strikes on Islamic State targets over a five-month period, more than doubling an ongoing tally of such deaths to 41, AFP reports.
Observers were quick to dismiss the toll as "unbelievable," warning the toll is likely much higher given the intensity of the 20-month-old air campaign that has unleashed 12,000 plane and drone strikes — often in urban areas.
The latest figures from U.S. Central Command are based on investigations into nine strikes in Iraq and Syria between September 10 and February 2, including one in Atshanah, Iraq that killed eight civilians and another in the Iraqi city of Ramadi that killed five.
CENTCOM spokesman Colonel Pat Ryder said the United States regretted the loss of life, but said the IS group bore responsibility, AFP says.
"In this type of armed conflict, particularly with an enemy who hides among the civilian population, there are going to be, unfortunately, civilian casualties at times," Ryder said.
"We do everything we can to avoid it, but that's just the nature of the enemy we are dealing with."
In addition, a total of 28 civilians have been injured in the campaign, the Pentagon claims.
The U.S. has led an international coalition that since August 2014 has targeted IS fighters in Iraq and Syria.
