Civilian casualties mount in war on ISIL

[rug]

Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY
6:06 p.m. EDT April 22, 2016

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon Friday acknowledged dozens of civilian casualties in Iraq and Syria have occurred since the U.S.-led bombing campaign has grown more aggressive since fall, the military announced Friday.

The release of the findings of nine investigations shows that the military’s prosecution of Islamic State targets by warplanes carries greater risks for civilians. From Sept. 10, 2015, to Feb. 2, 2016, nine airstrikes resulted in 31 civilian casualties, killing 20 people and wounding 11 more, according to U.S. Central Command. That compares with 21 killed and 17 wounded from the start of the war in August 2014 to September 2015.

On Wednesday, USA TODAY reported that authority for bombing missions with the probability of harming civilians had been quietly delegated from higher headquarters to lower-ranking commanders in the field last fall. In effect, the decision has resulted in more airstrikes with risk of civilian casualties because the decision to bomb can be made faster. Commanders requested that authority to hit fleeting targets.

Since the change in authority, the military has conducted an increasing number of airstrikes since the decision was made. A monthly record for bombs dropped was set in November. All told, more than 40,000 bombs have been dropped in Iraq and Syria since August 2014.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2016/04/22/civilian-casualties-mount-war-isil/83407372/

[My Good Babushka]

1. Planting the seeds of

future splinter terrorist groups from above.