Civilian deaths spike as U.S. ups presence in Iraq

On Wednesday, a top Iraqi military acknowledged the likelihood that the U.S.-led coalition played a role in the blasts that killed nearly 150 civilians near Mosul on March 17.

The U.S. has acknowledged that it conducted a strike in the area but hasn’t taken formal responsibility for the deaths.

Investigators are in Mosul to determine whether a U.S.-led coalition strike or Islamic State-rigged explosives caused a blast.

Civilian casualties in Iraq — and in Syria — have soared since Trump took office.

At least 300 civilians have been killed in the offensive against ISIS since mid-February, according to the U.N. human rights office. In Syria, civilian fatalities from coalition airstrikes rose to 198 in March, compared to 56 in February.

The Islamic State is seizing on these deaths to fuel propoganda, and resentment appears to be building against the U.S.-led coalition.

Ivor Prickett / New York Times Civilians in Mosul are fleeing the city amid U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, Islamic State car bombs, sniper fire and mortar attacks as Iraqi security forces fight to remove ISIS from its last strongholds in western Mosul.