EYE FOR AN EYE?

Less than a week after an Islamic terrorist killed eighty-four people in Nice, France, an almost identical number of civilians have been killed in a “botched” American airstrike near the village of Tokhar in Syria.

At least 85 people – including a dozen children – have been confirmed dead in the aftermath of the attack. That number is expected to rise as more bodies are pulled out of the rubble.

Numerous other civilians were reportedly killed during a separate airstrike carried out by French warplanes.

“The government of the Syrian Arab Republic condemns the two bloody massacres perpetrated by the French and US warplanes and those affiliated to the so-called international coalition which send their missiles and bombs to the civilians instead of directing them to the terrorist gangs,” a statement from the Syrian foreign ministry noted.

America has been waging war in Syria for several years – ostensibly against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Of course it was not until Russia got involved that ISIS began to sustain territorial reverses.

U.S. forces have yet to acknowledge the credibility of the reports.

“If the information supporting the allegation is determined to be credible, we will then determine the next appropriate step,” U.S. military officials noted, adding that they take “all measures during the targeting process to avoid or minimize civilian casualties.”

The civilian deaths occurred in connection with the battle for Manbij – a Syrian city located near the border of Turkey. ISIS has controlled Manbij since 2014, but the city is now under siege by a group of Kurdish militants backed by the United States.