The worries about civilian casualties have grown as Iraqi forces push to take western Mosul from the Islamic State with the help of American and allied air power, rockets and artillery. In western Mosul, hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped, and airstrikes are an essential part of the operation. American military officials also allege that Islamic State fighters have herded Iraqi residents into buildings, calculating that escalating civilian casualties would prompt American commanders to slow the pace of airstrikes. Forty-three cases of possible civilian casualties are still being assessed, including an April 2015 strike near Mosul. They are examining whether the American strike might have set off a larger blast from explosives set by militants.

Source: New York Times April 01, 2017 19:57 UTC