Overnight Coalition aircraft were conducting airstikes in Eastern Syria against what was believed to be a Daesh fighting position that the Coalition had been tracking for some time.
However, shortly after the bombing commenced, Russian officials advised the Combined Air Operations Centre that the targets may have been Syrian military personnel.
Bombing ceased immediately.
Australian aircraft were among a number of international aircraft taking part in this Coalition operation around Dayr Az Zawr.
While Syria remains a dynamic and complex operating environment, Australia would never intentionally target a known Syrian military unit or actively support Daesh (also known as ISIL).
Defence offers its condolences to the families of any Syrian personnel killed or wounded in this incident.
As Australians would expect, the US-led Coalition will review this incident thoroughly and Australia will cooperate fully with this review.
In order to maintain the integrity of this review, Defence will not provide any further details at this time.
Issued by Ministerial and Executive Coordination and Communication,
Department of Defence,
Canberra, ACT
Phone: 02 6127 1999 Fax: 02 6265 6946
