A U.S. airstrike that targeted an Islamic State checkpoint in Iraq in March likely killed four civilians, one of whom may have been a child, the U.S. military said on Friday in a rare statement acknowledging the death of civilians.
An investigation of the March 13 strike found the checkpoint was a legitimate target, that "all reasonable measures" were taken to avoid unintended deaths and that the presence of civilians could not be detected until after the warplane had launched its weapons.
Air force officials at U.S. Central Command began investigating the airstrike by an A-10 tank-killer jet near al Hatra, Iraq, after an Iraqi woman sent an email claiming her car and a second vehicle had been destroyed and the passengers killed. She sought compensation for her vehicle.