Pentagon chief orders review of 2019 Syria strike

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin attends a NATO Defense Ministers meeting at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, October 21, 2021. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/File Photo

WASHINGTON — U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a four-star general to review a 2019 strike in Syria that caused civilian casualties, the Pentagon said on Monday.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters that General Michael Garrett, the head of U.S. Army Forces Command, would have 90 days to complete his review on the civilians killed, the compliance of the law of war and record keeping.

Earlier this month the New York Times reported that the U.S. strike in Baghuz, Syria, killed up to 64 women and children during the battle against Islamic State.