U.S. responsible for deadly strike on Iranian school — NYT
Damaged elementary school in Minab, Iran (Photo: Abbas Zakeri/Mehr News/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS)
The U.S. military was responsible for the Feb. 28 Tomahawk
strike on an elementary
school in Minab, Iran, The New York Times reported
on March 11, citing a preliminary investigation into the matter.
According to Iranian officials, the attack killed 175 people, most of them children.
The NYT, citing U.S. officials and people familiar with the probe, reported that officers at U.S. Central Command generated target coordinates using outdated information from the Defense Intelligence Agency.
“The Feb. 28 strike on the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school building was the result of a targeting mistake by the U.S. military, which was conducting strikes on an adjacent Iranian base of which the school building was formerly a part, the preliminary investigation found,” the report said.
The newspaper said President Donald Trump’s public assertions that Iran was responsible for the attack have complicated the inquiry and concerned some officials who reviewed the preliminary findings.
Trump previously suggested the Tehran regime bombed the school using one of the U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missiles the U.S. president claimed Iran has. The latter assertion is particularly unbelievable, given that Tomahawk sales are tightly controlled, with only a handful of closest U.S. allies allowed to purchase and deploy the cruise missiles.
The NYT’s investigation, including analysis of satellite
imagery, social-media posts and verified video, found that the school building
had been separated from the military base between 2013 and 2016: guard towers
were removed, three public entrances were added, playground markings were
painted on pavement, and walls were repainted. The Times concluded the school
was seriously damaged by a precision strike that occurred about the same time
as attacks on the naval base; the base was struck again roughly two hours
later.
The newspaper said the Tomahawk strike, carried out using the outdated coordinates, “has not surprised current and former officials” familiar with targeting problems. It noted that when Defense Intelligence Agency data are stale, analysts are expected to refresh and verify targets with imagery or other information from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.
“Many officers would have been responsible for verifying that the data is correct, and officers at Central Command are responsible for checking the information they receive from the Defense Intelligence Agency or another intelligence agency,” the newspaper wrote.
“But in a fast-moving situation, like the opening days of a
war, information is sometimes not verified.”
Will you support Ukraine’s free press?
Dear reader, as all news organizations, we must balance the pressures of delivering timely, accurate, and relevant stories with requirements to fund our business operations.
As a Ukrainian-based media, we also have another responsibility – to amplify Ukraine’s voice to the world during the crucial moment of its existence as a political nation.
It’s the support of our readers that lets us continue doing our job. We keep our essential reporting free because we believe in our ultimate purpose: an independent, democratic Ukraine.
If you’re willing to support Ukraine, consider subscribing to our Patreon starting from 5$ per month. We are immensely grateful.
Please help us continue fighting Russian propaganda.
Truth can be hard to tell from fiction these days. Every viewpoint has its audience of backers and supporters, no matter how absurd.
If conscious disinformation is reinforced by state propaganda apparatus and budget, its outcomes may become deadly.
There is no solution to this, other than independent, honest, and accurate reporting.
We remain committed to empowering the Ukrainian voice to push against the muck. If you’re willing to stand up for the truth – consider supporting us on Patreon starting from 5$ per month. Thank you very much.
Will you help tell Ukraine’s story to the world?
Twenty years ago, most people hadn’t even heard of Ukraine. Today, the country is on everyone’s lips and everyone’s headlines. War pushed us on the front page. But there are many other things we do that we are proud of – from music and culture to technology.
We need your help to tell the world Ukrainian story of resilience, joy, and survival. If you’re willing to back our effort, consider supporting us on Patreon starting from 5$ per month. We are immensely grateful.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
