Hawzah News Agency - Hajin is the last big town that Daesh holds in its remaining enclave east of the Euphrates River. The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), led by the YPG, has launched operations against the Daesh terrorist organization there for several months.
The U.S. coalition said that 16 heavily armed Daesh fighters were using the mosque as a base for attacks. "This strike killed these terrorists who presented an imminent threat and eliminated another deadly ISIS [Daesh] operational capability from the battlefield," the U.S. military said in a statement.
The mosque is not the first civilian structure struck by the coalition, as last week the coalition hit a hospital in Hajin.
The U.S.-led coalition also targeted several mosques in Deir el-Zour province in October, leading to dozens of civilians losing their lives.
Regarding the issue, Pentagon Spokesman Col. Rob Manning refrained from providing any information on civilian casualties; instead he said that the mosque in Hajin district was targeted. Also, huge civilian casualties continue to occur during the operations. Anadolu Agency (AA) reported earlier this week that 15 family members were killed in a U.S.-led coalition airstrike in Deir el-Zour, according to local sources.