WASHINGTON – Russian jets bombed US-backed forces in several small villages in northern Syria after they mistakenly thought Islamic State forces were in the area, a top US general said Wednesday.

On Tuesday, “we had some Russian aircraft and regime aircraft bomb some villages that I believe they thought were held by ISIS, yet … actually on the ground were some of our Syrian Arab Coalition forces,” Army Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend told reporters, noting that there were “some” casualties.

He added that US commandos were less than five kilometers (three miles) away and that the bombing stopped when the Americans called the Russians on a special hotline.