US airstrikes have killed 41 civilians and injured 28 others in Iraq and Syria since Operation Inherent Resolve began, US Central Command announced Friday. The command announced results of investigations into nine? air strikes from both manned and unmanned aircraft between Sept. 10, 2015 and Feb. 2, in which 20 civilians were killed and 11 were injured. Thus far in the campaign, there have been 162 allegations of civilian deaths due to US airstrikes, but 112 have been deemed not credible, command spokesman Air Force Col. Patrick Ryder told reporters on Friday. Twenty-three allegations are pending credibility assessments or investigation, he said, and two have been assessed but the findings have not yet been released. Ryder stressed that the US assesses the risk before every strike and takes precautions to avoid civilian deaths. “By any measure, this is the most precise air campaign in the history of warfare,” he said. The coalition has changed the rules of engagement to give the decision-making power on strikes that could result in civilian casualties to commanders on the ground, instead of a commander in Tampa, OIR spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren told reporters Wednesday. (See also: CENTCOM Confirms Additional Civilian Casualties)
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.