Not less than 3,952 people have been killed in the US-led coalition’s campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group in Syria, according to a monitoring group. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said on Monday the death toll included a total of 250 civilians.
The air strikes occurred in the period between September 2014 and November 23, 2015, SOHR said. The US announced the formation of the coalition against ISIL in Syria and Iraq in September 2014 which then included 28 countries. It now includes 65 countries.
Among those killed were 66 children below the age of eight, and 44 children above the age of 18. At least 3,547 ISIL fighters were killed in air strikes on Hama, Aleppo, Homs, Hasaka, Raqqa and Deir Az Zor. The air strikes also killed 136 al-Nusra Front fighters. The US Combined Joint Task Force’s Public Affairs desk told Al Jazeera the US Central Command (CENTCOM) takes all allegations of civilian casualties seriously and applies standards in its targeting process to avoid or to minimise civilian casualties.
“We take all allegations of civilian casualties seriously, and we apply very rigorous standards in our targeting process to avoid or to minimise civilian casualties in the first place,” a CENTCOM media officer said.
