The U.S. accidentally bombed the wrong side in Iraq.
The friendly-fire incident apparently happened Friday, when at least one coalition airstrike struck Iraqi Security Forces fighting ISIS near Fallujah. (Video via U.S. Air Force / Senior Airman Daniel Asselta)
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter called Iraq’s prime minister to apologize while aboard the USS Kearsarge.
Officials say one officer and nine soldiers died in the strike — one army medic told The Washington Post he treated at least 20 injured soldiers. The U.S. says it’ll investigate the incident. (Video via U.S. Marines / Cpl. Jacob Smith)
Friendly-fire incidents are already bad enough, but this latest incident could further suspicions some Iraqis — particularly those with close ties to Iran — hold about U.S. military intervention.
This may mark the first friendly fire incident in Iraq for the U.S. since airstrikes started, but it’s not actually the first for the coalition’s campaign. (Video via U.S. Air Force / Staff Sgt. Robert Kingery)
A Canadian soldier was killed in Iraq in March after Kurdish forces mistakenly fired on him and three others.
The last major U.S.-involved friendly fire incident was in Afghanistan in 2014. A B-1B lancer accidentally killed 5 U.S. special forces operatives and an Afghan Army soldier.
Coalition forces have stepped up airstrikes against ISIS in recent weeks in an effort to aid several offenses against the terrorist organization in Iraq and Syria.
