Pentagon: No evidence airstrikes killed civilians

The Pentagon on Monday said they had no evidence yet of any civilian casualties from airstrikes targeting Islamic militants in Syria.

The U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria is taking heat from activists and human rights groups over the expanded airstrikes.

{mosads}”We right now don’t have anything to corroborate those reports from Syrian activists,” said Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren. “We take the matter of civilian casualties very seriously.”  

Warren added that evidence of civilian casualties from U.S. airstrikes would often be “inconclusive” because the strikes are assessed remotely using surveillance drones.

“The evidence is going to be inclusive often. Remember we’re using [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] to determine the battle damage assessment,” Warren said. 

His comments come after the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told the Associated Press that strikes had hit a grain silo, killing only civilians and workers and destroying food stored there. 

Warren did not dispute the human rights group’s claim, but said the facility was being used by ISIS as a logistics and vehicle hub. 

“But before any mission we take all precautions that we can,” he added.