What fiend at the Pentagon spun the 'theory' about US coalition bombing of Syrian troops?

"The US is trying to determine what specifically led to the mistaken strike and how the [Syrian army] personnel may have been misidentified. Officials told CNN they believe a likely scenario is the personnel hit were prisoners of the regime, perhaps military personnel being detained, although that is not certain."

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Prisoner of the regime, huh?     

Kanaan Mahmoud Abboud was martyred in Deir Ezzor after a U.S. airstrike attacked his unit. Rest in peace, hero

Prisoner of the regime, huh?

Fadi Al-Jissri of the 137th Brigade was martyred alongside his comrades when the U.S. warplanes attacked them in Deir Ezzor. RIP hero

Leith Fadel posted the photographs and tributes at his Twitter page about 10 hours ago. I don't think he'd seen the following CNN report at the time; at least I hope he didn't see it and never does. He's lost many friends in Syria's military to the war.

US builds working theory on cause of Syrian airstrike

By Barbara Starr, CNN Pentagon Correspondent
Updated 3:12 PM ET, Mon September 19, 2016

CNN

The mistaken US-led coalition bombing of a Syrian military position Saturday may have happened because the personnel weren't wearing military uniforms and didn't have standard military weapons, several US military officials told CNN.

Officials said they now think the personnel bombed may have been Syrian military prisoners, according to several US defense officials.

That's a working theory of how US, British, Danish and Australian aircraft may have incorrectly assessed intelligence and targeted the site that killed more than 60 Syrian personnel near Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria. The UK Ministry of Defence is saying it used drones in the strike.

Officials emphasized there are no final conclusions by the US about who was struck. Overhead imagery and interviews with those involved will have to be assessed.

But the US is not disputing that Syrian personnel were hit. The US is trying to determine what specifically led to the mistaken strike and how the personnel may have been misidentified.

Officials told CNN they believe a likely scenario is the personnel hit were prisoners of the regime, perhaps military personnel being detained, although that is not certain.

The initial signs indicate they were dressed in civilian clothing. They also may not have had the typical weapons of a Syrian military unit but rather trucks with weapons mounted on top of them.

It is also not known if they were deliberately placed there to potentially deceive the coalition.
[...]

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