The White House changes the rules regarding civilian victims of US bombings after killing women and children.
Following reports of civilian casualties from US drone strike in Syria, White House states that "near certainty" policy no longer applies.
After sharply criticizing Israel for civilian casualties in its air campaign in Gaza, which the IDF consistently attempted to avoid, the White House has now issued a statement abandoning the strict policies Obama implemented last year to prevent civilian casualties.
| Syria - Aleppo residential Al Bab district destroyed by US strikes |
This statement came in response to questions about reports that as many as a dozen civilians were killed when a Tomahawk missile struck the village of Kafr Daryan in Syria's Idlib province on the morning of September 23.
At a briefing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee last week, rebel Syrian commanders described women and children being hauled from the debris after a missile struck.
“They were carrying bodies out of the rubble. … I saw seven or eight ambulances coming out of there,” said Abu Abdo Salabman, a political member of one of the Free Syria Army factions. Images of injured children also appeared on YouTube.
| Civilian casualty of US bombs in Al Bab district of Aleppo |
The village of Kafr Daryan is a reported stronghold of the Al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front where US officials believed members of the Khorasan group were planning attacks against international aircrafts.
The Nusra Front, however, is also a sometimes ally of the US-backed rebels, contributing to the controversy of this strike.
Caitlin Hayden, a National Security Council official, told Yahoo News that Pentagon officials “take all credible allegations seriously and will investigate."
At the same time, Hayden stated that the White House policy disallowing US drone strikes unless there is a “near certainty” there will be no civilian casualties does not apply to current US airstrikes in Syria and Iraq.
