More Than 1,000 Civilians 'Unintentionally Killed' In US Fight Against IS

A US Air Force F-22 Raptor over Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve (Picture: US Department of Defense).

The US military says more than 1,000 civilians have been killed since 2014 in its efforts to defeat the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

Under its Operation Inherent Resolve, the US military carried out 30,008 strikes between August 2014 and end of August 2018.

According to a Pentagon release today during that time 1,114 civilians were "unintentionally killed." 

The Pentagon said, "We continue to employ thorough and deliberate targeting and strike processes to minimize (sic) the impact of our operations on civilian populations and infrastructure."

 "This process includes thorough review and vetting of each target package prior to a strike, and another review after that strike.

"Our regular strike reports make our activities publicly accessible, and our monthly publication of civilian casualty reports makes our civilian casualty assessments similarly accessible to the public."

There is some dispute over the number of civilian deaths from US military operations in Iraq and Syria.

Amnesty International says the US government's numbers are artificially low because not enough investigation is undertaken to find the accurate number of civilian deaths.

In May this year the UK admitted an RAF airstrike had resulted in the death of a civilian - the first innocent casualty since it started bombing the Islamic State (IS) group in Iraq and Syria.