US says Raqqah airstrike may have killed civilians

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON

The U.S. Middle East command said Wednesday that civilians may have been killed in an airstrike near Daesh’s self-declared Syrian capital the previous day.

Central Command said in a statement that claims of civilian casualties near Raqqah have “been deemed credible” following its internal assessment.

The strike targeted a Daesh weapons facility when “what appeared to be a non-military vehicle drove into the target area after the weapon was released from the aircraft,” it said.

“The vehicle's occupants may have perished as a result of the strike,” it added.

The incident will next be reviewed at the joint task force level, according to the command.

It is unclear where exactly the strike took place or how many civilians may have been killed.