Civilians ‘highest priority’ in raids
When attacking ISIL militants, a US naval pilot carrying out air strikes from a carrier in the Arabian Gulf says targets are heavily vetted to avoid the deaths of ordinary people,
ABOARD THE USS GEORGE HW BUSH // A US naval pilot who has carried out strikes against ISIL says avoiding civilian casualties is the “highest of priorities” for him and his colleagues.
Although all targets are “heavily vetted” by the US-led coalition fighting the extremists, responsibility for avoiding civilian casualties also lies with the pilots carrying out the strikes, said the officer, who is on the USS George
HW Bush aircraft carrier in the Arabian Gulf.
“The onus for everything that you do is always down to you as the aviator that’s out there in the aircraft,” said the pilot of an F/A18E Super Hornet fighter jet.
“Our aircraft have sensors that can basically see the ground and we’re in constant communications with various agencies out there, both at the tactical control level as well as directly on the ground.”
The United States has faced growing criticism in recent weeks after high numbers of civilian casualties in suspected American and US-led coalition air strikes on extremists in Iraq and Syria.
On Saturday, the US-led coalition confirmed it carried out a March 17 strike on an ISIL-held district of west Mosul, where residents and officials say as many as 200 civilians may have been killed.
That same day, Iraqi authori- ties announced a temporary halt to the offensive to retake western areas of the city – apparently prompted by the incident in Mosul Al Jadida district.
Yesterday, the United Nations said that at least 307 civilians were killed in the Mosul campaign between February 17 and March 22 – a toll that could exceed 400 if killings reported since then are confirmed. The USS George HW Bush began launching air strikes on ISIL positions from the Arabian Gulf last week, said the Bahrain-based US naval forces central command on Friday.
The commander of the carrier strike group, Rear Admiral Kenneth Whitesell, said Mosul would be the first target area for the raids, followed by locations in northern Syria, including Raqqa, ISIL’s last remaining stronghold.
The F/A-18E pilot described his mindset when heading out on missions against the extremist group.
“I think everybody in the back of their mind, I don’t know if fear is the right word, but definitely healthy respect for the scenario out there, and we certainly talk through all of the contingencies that could happen,” said the officer, who flies solo during strike missions.
“I can tell you that the enemy we know is very real and … you know we’ve all seen the news and what they’re capable of, and I think the pilots that are in this mission certainly have no doubt. There’s no doubt in terms of what they’re facing out there.”
In January 2015, Jordanian air force pilot Maaz Al Kassasbeh, 26, was burnt alive by ISIL militants after his F-16 jet crashed over northern Syria. The first lieutenant was taking part in a coalition mission against ISIL at the time.
Shortly after, The National reported that when pilots are downed behind enemy lines, their chances of evading capture and being rescued begin to diminish rapidly after an hour – what combat search-and-rescue veterans call the “golden hour”. The US naval pilot said he approached strike missions against ISIL by “compartmentalising the flight” and “focusing on what’s important at that time”.
“In terms of the things you don’t want, obviously, any sort of in-flight emergencies, or things that are caused by [ potential] fires from the ground but you’re not really focusing on that, you’re just planning for those contingencies,” he added. The USS George HW Bush has played a significant role in the coalition fight against ISIL, launching the first US air strikes on the group in August 2014 – shortly after ISIL seized large areas of Iraq, including Mosul.
Before sailing to the Arabian Gulf via the Suez Canal and Bab Al Mandeb strait this month, the carrier spent about three weeks in the eastern Mediterranean.
From there it launched about 220 air strikes on ISIL, dropping more than 181 tonnes of bombs, said Admiral Whitesell.