Pentagon says Syria airstrike was legal and on target, but may have killed civilian

WASHINGTON—A U.S. military investigation has concluded that an airstrike targeting a meeting of al-Qaida operatives in Syria was legal, on target and did not inadvertently kill scores of civilians as humanitarian groups have alleged.

The Pentagon’s classified investigation of the March 16 bombing on a building in Al Jinah village near Aleppo found that at worst one civilian was killed or injured—possibly a child, based on the height observed from aerial surveillance, according to Army Brig. Gen. Paul Bontrager, the lead investigating officer from U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Fla.

“We are confident this was a meeting of al-Qaida leaders and members,” he told reporters at the Pentagon via teleconference.

Analysts with a U.S. special operations task force, which hunts terrorist groups around the globe, watched the site for three days, Bontrager said. The target underwent what the military calls a thorough assessment, review and validation process, he said, before the order was made to scramble U.S. F-15 fighter jets and MQ-9 Reaper drones to destroy it.

The investigation report, which was not publicly released, did identify several shortfalls, however, including failing to recognize that the targeted building was a school or madrassa associated with a nearby mosque.

Religious buildings, such as churches and mosques, are protected against U.S. military airstrikes. If commanders believe they have been overtaken by enemy forces, the buildings can be targeted only with the approval of senior military officers.