MOSCOW, September 29 (RIA Novosti) - The United States should conduct an investigation into possibly unlawful airstrikes in Syria that have resulted in the deaths of civilians, Human Rights Watch (HRW) announced in a press release.
"The United States and its allies in Syria should be taking all feasible precautions to avoid harming civilians," Nadim Houry, HRW deputy Middle East and North Africa director, was quoted in the statement released Sunday.
"The US government should investigate possible unlawful strikes that killed civilians, publicly report on them, and commit to appropriate redress measures in case of wrongdoing," Houry said, adding, "Civilians in many parts of Syria are still living under constant threat of airstrikes from their own government. The US needs to take all necessary measures to protect civilians from their own strikes."
Three local residents were cited by the HRW as saying that airstrikes, conducted on September 23, have taken the lives of at least two men, two women, and five children in the Syrian village of Kafr Deryan. Unverified information by one of the residents suggests that the two men could have been members of the Jabhat al-Nusra extremist Islamist group.
The residents confirmed that Jabhat al-Nusra forces were located about a kilometer (0.6 miles) from the village, but there were none of the group's buildings in the area of the airstrikes in the village itself.
The US Department of Defense has not provided any details about the airstrikes on Kafr Deryan. The residents also noted that missiles fired during the airstrikes directly hit civilian homes.
Earlier on September 25, the US government said it was looking into reports suggesting that there were civilian casualties in Syria caused by the airstrikes carried out against extremist groups in the country but had no proof of civilian deaths.
