Australia will continue conducting air strikes in Syria despite being part of a botched operation that killed nearly 100 Syrian soldiers who had been fighting the Islamic State (IS) group, Defence Minister Marise Payne has confirmed.

Senator Payne has refused to answer direct questions about whether Australian forces were actively bombing the soldiers, who had been fighting IS in the country’s east when they were attacked by the US-led coalition.

Coalition forces apparently mistook them for militants.

Senator Payne held a media conference in Sydney, confirming Australia’s involvement in air strikes would continue while an investigation is conducted into what went wrong.

When asked directly whether air strikes would be suspended, she said no.

“We will continue in an appropriate, measured way with the international coalition, to do what is required, but there has been no holders as such put on Australian activity,” she said.

The Minister did not provide any new details on the majority of questions posed by reporters, saying the government would make comment “accordingly” and participate in the review.

Senator Payne would not say whether Australian jets were bombing at the time, or providing a support role for coalition partners.

On the question of what proportion of the planes were Australian, she said: “I’m not going to break it down piece by piece because I think it is the subject of a review”.

She also refused to be drawn on the question of whether Australia played a leading role, and what type of Australian planes were involved.

-ABC