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Syria air strike: Mosque was not bombed, insists US | |
(about 11 hours later) | |
The US military has denied reports that it bombed a mosque in north-western Syria during evening prayers. | |
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said 46 people, mostly civilians, died in an air strike on what it said was a mosque. | |
The US military said it had carried out an air strike, killing several al-Qaeda militants, but did not hit a mosque. | |
It said it was looking into reports of civilian casualties. | |
"We did not target, nor did we strike a mosque," Major Josh Jacques, a spokesman for US Central Command (Centcom) told the BBC. | |
"We targeted an al-Qaeda gathering across the street from a mosque. The mosque does not appear to be damaged following the strike. We are aware of the reports of civilian casualties and we are looking into it," he said. | |
In an earlier statement to AFP news agency, he said the meeting site the US targeted was about 50ft (15m) from the mosque. | |
A correspondent for the agency described watching rescue workers dig people out of the rubble late on Thursday. | |
A building with a dome and loudspeaker can be seen largely intact close to the rubble in pictures of the scene. In another picture, a black placard naming a mosque and Islamic law school leans against a damaged building. | |
The UK-based observatory, which relays information from sources on the ground, said the al-Jineh mosque had been packed with worshippers for evening prayers. | The UK-based observatory, which relays information from sources on the ground, said the al-Jineh mosque had been packed with worshippers for evening prayers. |
The US military originally said the strike had taken place in neighbouring Idlib province, but later said it was in Aleppo province. | |
The village lies in one of the main rebel-held regions of Syria. Russian and Syrian aircraft operate in the area and US warplanes also target jihadist rebels in the region. | |
Unravelling the Syrian puzzle | Unravelling the Syrian puzzle |
Syria's war without end | Syria's war without end |
The attack on Thursday came only a day after at least 31 people were killed in a suicide bombing at the main court complex in the capital, Damascus. | The attack on Thursday came only a day after at least 31 people were killed in a suicide bombing at the main court complex in the capital, Damascus. |
The Damascus bombing was on the sixth anniversary of the start of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. | The Damascus bombing was on the sixth anniversary of the start of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. |
Since then, more than 320,000 people have been killed and 11 million displaced in the conflict, according to activists. | Since then, more than 320,000 people have been killed and 11 million displaced in the conflict, according to activists. |