Inquiry blames blunders behind botched airstrikes

A US military investigation has concluded that a series of "unintentional human errors" led to a Sept 17 coalition airstrike that killed fighters aligned with the Syrian government instead of the targeted Islamic State militants.

The strike, which Moscow said killed more than 60 Syrian soldiers, prompted an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting as tensions between Russia and the United States spiked.

Brigadier General Richard Coe, who led the investigation, told reporters at the Pentagon on Tuesday that the major errors ranged from a basic misidentification of targets to "group think" during intelligence development and even a communications blunder on a hotline with Russia.