The two back-to-back airstrikes near the town of Baghuz were ordered by a classified American special operations unit tasked with ground operations in Syria, according to the report https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/13/us/us-airstrikes-civilian-deaths.html. The newspaper said that U.S. Central Command, which oversaw U.S. air operations in Syria, acknowledged the strikes for the first time this week and said they were justified. The military said it was unclear if the other 60 people were civilians, partly because women and children could have been combatants. In Saturday's statement, the military said the strikes were "legitimate self-defense," proportional and that "appropriate steps were taken to rule out the presence of civilians." The newspaper said its report was based on confidential documents and descriptions of classified reports, as well as interviews with personnel directly involved.

Source: International New York Times November 14, 2021 11:26 UTC