For the first time, he said, officials caught this tactic on video yesterday as armed ISIS fighters forced civilians into a building, killing one who resisted, and then using the building as a fighting position against Iraqi counterterrorism service forces, the spokesman said.
Scrocca said officials had suspicions of the tactic, and yesterday’s video now provides proof and offers signs of what to look for.
Goal: Zero Civilian Casualties
“Our goal is and has always been zero civilian casualties, but there is a legal and moral imperative to protect our own forces and accomplish the mission against an evil enemy that is equally as important as protecting civilians,” he said.
“We will continue to assess and adjust our tactics to account for civilians on the battlefield while striking ISIS whenever and wherever we safely can,” the colonel said.
The Iraqis have proven to be a tenacious, brave, professional fighting force as they place their lives in harm’s way to protect Iraqi civilians and to defeat ISIS in Mosul, Scrocca added.
And the U.S.-led coalition is showing sustained success against fierce resistance in a tough fight, he said
“But ISIS will continue to cause massive human suffering if the [Iraqi forces] and coalition do not prevail,” he warned. “And the coalition will not abandon its commitment to our Iraqi partners because of ISIS’ inhumane tactics.”
(Source: US Dept of Defense)
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