Backed Syrian Forces Seize Documents and Data From Islamic State

Syria has appealed to the United Nations claiming that 45 civilians were killed and 50 injured in US-led coalition airstrikes outside the city of Manbij near Aleppo on Thursday. But in a statement released Wednesday, the USA -led anti-ISIS coalition claimed 360 ISIS targets in Syria and Iraq had been destroyed by both manned aircraft and drones between July 19 and 25 alone.

The development came after at least 15 people were killed and injured in US-led airstrikes against al-Nawajah village east of Manbij on July 23, a few days after another deadly US-led raid left 120 civilians dead near Manbij.

Garver said the US has begun to understand how ISIS processes fighters once they migrate to Syria because of information collected around Manbij.

The investigation “is still in its early phase and we do not have all the facts at this time, and we do not have any conclusions”, Cook said.

“We can confirm the coalition conducted airstrikes in the areas in the last 24 hours”, said the USA central command late on Thursday, adding that the strikes “may have resulted in civilian casualties”.

Information gleaned from social media, journalism and other public sources will inform the inquiry, Col Garver said, as will proprietary USA military information, such as geospatially located ordnance impacts.

Syrian opposition groups and monitors said a strike on July 19 likely killed more than 100 people including entire families near the city of Manbij in Syria’s Aleppo province.

Garver also said that the U.S.is assessing reports that civilians were killed in other US airstrikes on the village of al-Nawaja, east of Manbij, on July 23.

“It’s going to take a lot to go through, then start connecting the dots”, he said.

“The biggest challenge the SDF has found is that ISIS is keeping civilians in the city centre and not allowing them to leave”, he said.

“We will aggressively pursue opportunities to build pressure on ISIL in Syria from the south, complimenting our existing and robust efforts”, Carter said, using an acronym for Islamic State. Airwars estimates that civilians deaths in Syria are under-reported by as much as 95 percent by the U.S.

“Levels of civilian killings from the coalition are so high now, we are edging towards the 1,000 figure, and they don’t disclose it, they are covering it up”, Neil Sammonds said, adding that there had probably been more than 200 civilians killed during the fight for Manbij alone.