Coalition airstrike may have killed civilians at Mosul hospital

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – A coalition airstrike targeting an ISIS vehicle in Mosul on Thursday may have killed civilians at a hospital in the city, the coalition announced in a statement. 

“During operations to liberate Mosul on Dec. 29, a Coalition air strike struck a van carrying ISIL fighters observed firing a SPG9/RPG recoilless rifle before loading the weapon in the van and driving off,” reads the statement published by the Combined Joint Task Force on Thursday evening. 

“The van was struck in what was later determined to be a hospital compound parking lot resulting in possible civilian casualties.”

The Mosul Eye, a blogger from the city, reported earlier in the day that the coalition had struck Ibn al-Athir Hospital. 

According to World Health Organization information on health facilities in Iraq, Ibn al-Athir is a maternity and children’s hospital.

The coalition has pledged to investigate the incident and release its findings “in a timely and transparent manner.”


“Coalition forces comply with the Law of Armed Conflict, work diligently to be precise in our airstrikes, and take all feasible precautions during the planning and execution of airstrikes to reduce the risk of harm to civilians,” concludes the statement.