Danish Defence has revealed that a bombing raid in Iraq by its F-16 fighter jets may have led to the loss of civilian life.
The Defence stated that all procedures for the attack on Islamic State (IS) on August 30 were followed in line with coalition guidelines, but it would evaluate its internal operation procedures to see if there is a need for change.
“The Danish forces undertake routine evaluations of all missions focusing on specific attacks,” the Defence wrote. “In this connection, the Danish forces have evaluated there is a risk that the attack possibly led to the loss of civilian lives.”
Danish Defence has passed on the information to the coalition headquarters, which in turn has launched an investigation.
Danish Defence will reveal the results of the investigations in the future.
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New artillery
In related news, Danish Navy frigates and support ships will be fitted with new artillery systems, according to the defence minister, Carl Holst.
The armament upgrade was originally launched in 2012, but was cancelled due to issues pertaining to the ships’ existing artillery systems.
The new 35 mm artillery pieces will cost 144 million kroner and be used for close-range defence against hostile aircraft or smaller ships as part of a Close-In Weapon Support System (CIWS).
The new systems are expected to be fully operational sometime during 2017.
