US Central Command has finished a credibility assessment on the July 19 strike in the village of al-Tukhar near Manbij, where the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed up to 56 civilians were killed. Army Col. Christopher Garver, spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, said the assessment found credible evidence of civilian casualties, and a formal investigation has launched. Since the strike occurred in a contested area, investigators will likely not be able to inspect physical evidence from the scene, but CENTCOM has many other methods to investigate the claims, Garver said. CENTCOM also has begun a credibility assessment from a July 23 strike on the village of Al Nawaja east of Manbij, though details were not available on this strike.
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
