The Pentagon has decided not to hold anyone accountable for an airstrike in the Syrian town of Baghuz in March 2019 that left as many as 70 women and children dead. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a full review of the incident after The New York Times disclosed details of the strike last year. According to the Times, the death toll was almost immediately apparent to military officials, with one legal officer flagging the attack as a possible war crime, but the Pentagon covered up key details about the strike. The bombing was carried out by a classified special operations unit known as Task Force 9. Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby spoke on Tuesday. John Kirby: “We’re admitting that, yes, we killed some innocent civilians, women and children, in 2019 in Baghuz, Syria. It’s all out there for you to see. We’re admitting that we made those mistakes, that we killed, that our operations ended up in the killing of innocent people.”
    • pingveno@lemmy.ml
      54·
      3 years ago

      They’ve got a good point. At least the US has a media environment where reporters are digging around instead of being tamed lapdogs of the government. This would never have seen the light of day in Russia, let alone an admission by their armed forces. To people who are calling this a whataboutism, it’s worth pointing out that Russia was intimately involved in making Aleppo a bombed out wasteland. I assure you that they killed many civilians and will never hold themselves accountable.