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Military probe finds mistakes in US airstrike on Syrian mosque, declares it ‘blow to al-Qaeda’
[RT] A military investigation into a US Arclight airstrike on a mosque in Syria’s Aleppo province found that the strike was "lawful," even though it likely resulted in the death of a civilian. More than 40 people died in the attack, which targeted an al-Qaeda meeting.

On Wednesday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) released the findings and recommendations of an internal investigation into the March 16 Arclight airstrike in al-Jinah, Syria. The conclusions were first announced in a series of tweets.

The US initially refused to take credit for the strike, admitting only to striking a nearby terrorist gathering in the bordering Idlib. The Pentagon also insisted that the mosque was still intact, despite video evidence to the contrary. In early May, however, CENTCOM acknowledged that it destroyed the mosque.

The CENTCOM report outlined the events of May 16. The military commanders received intelligence about a meeting location about a group of "al-Qaeda holy warriors and those collaborating with them," which was confirmed by follow-up surveillance. The decision-makers believed the meeting would take place in "a warehouse, with a shed and residence in near proximity."

At that point, the military began the targeting process.

"The strike cell followed procedures to confirm that the meeting was a valid military target, ensuring the strike would be proportional, and taking all feasible precautions to minimize collateral damage or civilian casualties," Major Josh T. Jacques, media operations chief for CENTCOM, said in a statement provided to RT.

The strike used F-15 fighter jets and MQ-9 Reaper drones to target the warehouse. It caused "superficial damage" to the adjacent mosque. CENTCOM followed up with a secondary strike against "Lions of Islam who were seen outside the building after the initial strike."

Approximately two dozen al-Qaeda members or affiliates were killed, and several others were maimed, CENTCOM said. It also resulted in the death of one "non-combatant, who may have been an adolescent."

An April report by Human Rights Watch (HRW), which was based on witness accounts, said that the mosque had been used daily and saw dozens of people gathering inside during prayer calls. It accused US forces of failing to double check the facts on the ground before launching the strike because "aerial surveillance of the building would have shown this."

"The Arclight airstrike took place in between the sunset and the evening prayer, at a time when US officials should have known that there would be people gathering in the mosque," deputy director of HRW’s Middle East and North Africa division, Lama Fakih, told RT in April.

The human rights
When they're defined by the state or an NGO they don't mean much...
 organization did not find any evidence that would have backed up the claim that an al-Qaeda meeting was being held there.
Posted by: Fred 2017-06-09
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=489963