Probe: U.S. airstrikes targeting ISIS killed civilians
WASHINGTON -- A U.S. military investigation has concluded that airstrikes against an Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) checkpoint near al Hatra, Iraq in March probably killed four civilians, possibly including a child.
U.S. Central Command says the checkpoint was validated as a lawful target before the strikes and that a review determined the attacks didn't violate international law.
The military says the four civilians emerged from two vehicles parked near the checkpoint after the A-10 attack plane released its weapons.
A Central Command statement expresses regret for what it calls the unintentional loss of civilian lives.
Several other allegations of civilian casualties linked to U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria are under investigation.
CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports this is the second time the U.S. has confirmed causing civilian casualties in the air strikes against ISIS. In the previous incident, two or three civilians were killed, two of them little girls.