An international coalition airstrike on Monday (October 22nd) destroyed several buildings the “Islamic State of Iraq and Syria” (ISIS) had used to launch attacks against Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the eastern Syrian village of Sousa, a coalition statement said.
One of the facilities that had been commandeered by ISIS was a mosque that was being used as a defensive fighting position and command centre, the coalition said.
The strike killed several ISIS fighters as they were actively firing on coalition partner forces, the coalition statement said.
"As the second coalition strike on an active ISIS fighting position originating from a mosque in less than a week, ISIS demonstrates desperation and the willingness to misuse protected structures to launch military attacks against SDF and coalition forces," the statement said.
After monitoring to reduce the risk to civilians, the coalition precision strike targeted and destroyed the buildings adapted by ISIS as command centers and fighting positions when only their fighters were present, the statement said.
ISIS continues to violate the Law of Armed Conflict and to misuse religious sites, the coalition said, stressing that it will continue to target ISIS remnants in the Middle Euphrates River Valley, as the SDF advances on its last strongholds.
Separately, coalition spokesman Col. Sean Ryan said a Thursday coalition raid had targeted a mosque being used as a "command and control centre”.
"Our assessment is only ISIS fighters were present at the command centre at the time of the strike," Col. Sean Ryan said in response to questions from AFP, adding that "12 ISIS terrorists" had been killed in the raid.
"If there are credible claims of possible civilian casualties, they will be investigated," Ryan added, in response to a Syrian Observatory for Human Rights accusation that airstrikes on Thursday and Friday had killed 41 civilians.
According to the Observatory, the Thursday strike killed 18 civilians, all of whom were related to ISIS fighters, with 11 ISIS fighters also killed in the raid.
The coalition said it did not carry out any bombing runs on Friday.
