Airstrikes by the US-led coalition mistakenly killed dozens of Syrian government-aligned forces in a botched September attack due to "human error," a formal investigation found Tuesday.
The US-led airstrike near Deir al-Zour in Syria's east on September 18 was supposed to target Daesh fighters, but instead the bombs landed on Syrian forces, a statement from the US Defence Department said.
During the course of the strike a Russian official used a previously established hotline to notify Coalition forces that the targeted personnel vehicles were Syrian military forces.
After the Russian notification, the coalition stopped the attacks, the US statement said.
The attacks by US, British, Danish and Australian warplanes killed at least 83 people, according to Australian broadcaster ABC, citing Russian sources.
The investigation, carried out by the US-led coalition, blamed "unintentional human error" for the fatal bombings, but said the mission was "conducted in full compliance with the rules of engagement and the laws of armed conflict."
The report said no coalition personnel would be sanctioned for the botched airstrike.
"The United States is not only the most powerful and most precise military on earth. We are also the most transparent," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said.
"When we fall short of our high standards, as happened in this case, we acknowledge our mistakes. We learn from it. And that's what we will do after this event," he added.
"In this instance, we did not rise to the high standard we hold ourselves to, and we must do better than this each and every time,” US Lieutenant General Jeff Harrigian said in a statement issued by US Central Command.
"The investigation found the decisions that identified the targets as Daesh fighters were supported by the information available at the time," an Australian defence department said in a Wednesday statement.
Australia's Defence Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin, said the forces had looked and acted like Daesh fighters that the coalition had been targeting for the past two years.
"The Australian Air Task Group undertakes a detailed and robust sovereign approval process prior to conducting any strikes," Binskin said.
"I have full confidence in our personnel's training, discipline and understanding of the imperative to operate in accordance with our strict rules of engagement."
The report said the coalition has improved information sharing among coalition partners since the incident.
