Pentagon chief orders review of 2019 Syria strike

[November 30, 2021]    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a four-star general to review a 2019 strike in Syria that caused civilian casualties, the Pentagon said on Monday.

 U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin attends a NATO Defence Ministers meeting at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, October 21, 2021. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/File Photo

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters that General Michael Garrett, the head of U.S. Army Forces Command, would have 90 days to complete his review on the civilians killed, the compliance of the law of war and record keeping.

Earlier this month the New York Times reported that the U.S. strike in Baghuz, Syria, killed up to 64 women and children during the battle against Islamic State.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)

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