WASHINGTON, October 1 (RIA Novosti) – The United States care about preserving lives of civilians in the areas of airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq and Syria, the Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby said.
"We must choose, we must discriminate between targets that matter more to us in space and time than others and ... those that run higher risk of collateral damage or civilian casualties," Kirby said at the briefing Tuesday evening.
"We care about preserving life - we're willing to be careful and patient and precise, even if that means having to wait for them to make a mistake or to make themselves more vulnerable," he added.
On September 30, British Tornado fighter jets have conducted first airstrikes against IS targets in Iraq.
"We're delighted to be joined in these efforts in Iraq today [September 30] by the British, who conducted two precision strikes against ISIL targets in the northwest part of the country in support of Kurdish units who are in contact with the enemy," Kirby elaborated.
The Pentagon Press Secretary also stressed that the United States and its allies have conducted the total of nearly 310 airstrikes, including more than 230 in Iraq and 76 in Syria since the beginning of the operation.
The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), is a Sunni extremist group which has seized vast territories in Iraq and Syria.
On September 10, US President Barack Obama announced his decision to form an international anti-IS coalition and conduct airstrikes against IS positions in Syria, while continuing airstrikes against the group's targets in Iraq, which he authorized earlier in August.
