WASHINGTON–U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism, released the following statement on the Pentagon’s investigation into a U.S. airstrike in Syria in 2019 and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin’s new directive to improve civilian casualty reporting processes:

“While this investigation into the 2019 airstrike that killed dozens of civilians in Syria came to the conclusion of no wrongdoing beyond a faulty review process, what's missing is any effort to hold anyone accountable. The thousands of civilians killed by botched U.S. military operations are a moral stain on our counterterrorism policy and undermine our national security. We must do better to prevent civilian casualties and prioritize accountability. I’m encouraged that Secretary Austin is committed to improving the way in which the military processes reports of civilian casualties, and I look forward to seeing what concrete steps the Department of Defense plans to take,” said Murphy.

In January, Murphy, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass), and U.S. Representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) released a statement on Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III’s directive to the United States military to strengthen its efforts to prevent civilian deaths. Murphy, Warren, and Khanna also led a letter to President Biden expressing concern about the United States’ targeting criteria for drone strikes that has led to the deaths of thousands of civilians, with little accountability. In March, Murphy and Warren also sent a letter urging the Pentagon to open new investigations into reports of civilian harm from U.S. military operations in Yemen.

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