An internal US military investigation that on February 28 destroyed a primary school in Iran and caused the death of at least 175 people, most of them minors, as stated in the New York Times. According to preliminary findings, in target identification during a military operation against nearby Iranian facilities.
The building reached It was the Shajarah Tayyebeh school, located in the city of Minab, in the south of the country. The attack occurred within the framework of a US offensive against facilities linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. However, early research results suggest that The coordinates used to launch the missile were based on outdated information.
U.S. officials and others familiar with the process have warned that the investigation is ongoing and important questions remain. especially about how that incorrect data ended up being used in a combat operation.
A target marked with old information
According to the first conclusions, the error originated in the target selection process. The United States Central Command, responsible for military operations in the region, would have used elaborate coordinates based on old information provided by the Defense Intelligence Agency.
In that database, the building where the school operates today was identified like a military installation. In the past, the land had been part of a base linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy, which would explain why it was listed as a potential target.
The problem is that this information did not reflect the current situation. As the years go by, the place had completely changed its use and had become an educational center.
Independent investigations based on satellite images show that the building stopped having a military appearance between 2013 and 2016. During that period, nearby watchtowers disappeared, public access was enabled and the space was adapted as a school. The images also show the creation of play areas and the painting of the facades in bright colors, typical features of a school.
Despite these visible transformations, the target identification system continued to classify the site as part of a military installation.
A failure in a complex chain
The targeting process in military operations It is especially complex and usually involves several intelligence agencies. Analysts, planners and military commanders review information before authorizing an attack.
For this reason, researchers are trying to determine where the data verification failed. The investigations focus especially on three organizations: the Defense Intelligence Agency, Central Command and the National Agency of Intelligence Geospatial, responsible for analyzing satellite images.
In theory, when a target’s information is old, it should be updated with new images or data before an operation is authorized. However, in conflict scenarios where decisions are made quickly, that verification process may fail.
Some researchers are also reviewing whether technological tools, such as data analysis programs or systems based on artificial intelligence, could have influenced the error. However, several officials consider that It is most likely a human error. within a complex chain of decisions.
Trump’s words generate outrage
Although the investigation has not yet concluded, The case has already caused a strong political and military impact. The use of Tomahawk missiles – characteristic weaponry of the US army – reinforced from the beginning the suspicion that the attack had been carried out by Washington.
The episode also has generated controversy due to the statements of the American president, Donald Trump. In the days after the attack, the president publicly suggested that Iran could have been responsible for the bombing, a statement that contradicted the hypotheses put forward by some officials. Later, Trump assured that he would accept the conclusions of the investigation when it is completed.
