The trump administration and military officials confirmed on Saturday an airstrike in Mosul that killed more than 100 people. While the Trump administration and those in charge of the strike said the attack was aimed at the Islamic State in Mosul, it appears there were rather substantial numbers of civilians caught up in the blasts.
During the admission of the strike, military officials have made it clear the attack was at the request of Iraqi forces. Those forces are still attempting to take Mosul back from ISIS. The loss of life underlines just how difficult this kind of frontal assault can be on the people who are caught in the middle.
Reversal of previous policy
The US-led coalition had previously stated they weren't certain who was responsible for the strike in the affected area. The Trump administration has also confirmed more than 60 bodies have been pulled out of the rubble. The Washington Post reports the number is expected to reach at least 100 once people who have been reported missing are pulled out from under the rubble.
“An initial review of strike data … indicates that, at the request of the Iraqi security forces, the Coalition struck ISIS fighters and equipment, March 17, in west Mosul at the location corresponding to allegations of civilian casualties,” the task force leading the coalition said in a statement.
Greatest loss of civilian life under Trump administration
If the numbers can be confirmed, it would mark the greatest amount of civilian lives lost not just under the Trump administration, but also since the United States military started airstrikes Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria in 2014. This appears to be another strike against the approach the United States and its allies have used in the battle for Mosul since this phase of the war began.
President Trump has said his administration is going to be looking long and hard at how the military is carrying out the campaign against ISIS. By all accounts President Trump doesn't feel as though the United States is being aggressive enough.
