Alex Hopkins

Tracking by Airwars across multiple conflicts during 2020 showed that the number of locally reported civilian deaths from the use of explosive weapons was down by two thirds compared to the previous year. Of these fatalities, around half were in the first two months of 2020. This suggested a possible ‘Covid effect’ – a significant […]

The release is a major breakthrough in transparency and could help Iraqis and Syrians finally secure apologies and even reparations for the death of family members

Accompanying the launch of Airwars’ new public database tracking US counterterrorism actions in Yemen, Eroding Transparency provides a comprehensive review of more than 230 alleged and confirmed US actions and associated civilian harm under President Donald Trump. Drawing on thousands of local sources – the majority in Arabic – the report reveals that at least […]

Fighting grinds to a halt in Idlib following ceasefire, but civilian harm incidents reported in other parts of Syria, Libya and Somalia.

February 2020 saw up to 226 civilians killed in Syria as a result of Russian airstrikes and 404 more injured - as the regime continued to push through Idlib and Aleppo.

Following the capture of Al Baghouz and the defeat of ISIS as a territorial entity on March 23rd, US-led Coalition air and artillery strikes in Syria effectively stopped, while actions in Iraq have also heavily declined in recent months. Consequently, Airwars has not tracked a civilian casualty event in Syria assessed as likely caused by […]

Conflict monitoring After 56 months of war, March finally saw the defeat of ISIS as a territorial entity when the town of Al Baghouz in Deir Ezzor governorate fell to Coalition-backed Syrian Democratic Forces on March 23rd. However, this final intense month of fighting came at what appeared to be significant cost to civilians on […]

Conflict monitoring During February, civilian harm claims against the US-led Coalition in Syria continued to be a major problem. The month saw several alarming large-scale casualty incidents in the town of Baghouz – the last territorial holdout in Syria for so-called Islamic State (ISIS) – meaning that the likely death toll from Coalition actions in […]

Conflict monitoring In January 2019, the noose further tightened around ISIS in the last remaining scraps of territory it held in Syria’s Deir Ezzor governorate. By February 5th, there were an it was claimewd as few as 1,000 fighters in ISIS’s stronghold within a 20-sqaure-mile area near the southern Euphrates Rivers and the Iraqi border, […]

Despite significant falls in both strike numbers and reported casualties, civilians still remained at risk in the three conflict-affected nations presently monitored by Airwars. In total, as many as 5,947 non combatants were locally alleged killed by international military actions across Syria, Iraq and Libya during 2018. In Libya reported airstrikes were down by a […]

Conflict monitoring In November, Airwars tracked the highest reported civilian death toll from alleged Coalition actions since the fall of Raqqa in October 2017. As the terrorist group clung on to a handful of villages in Deir Ezzor and the Hajin campaign rolled into its third month, Coalition actions rose by 32% on October with […]

Conflict monitoring Airwars tracked no locally reported claims of civilian harm in Syria from Russian actions during October – the first such month since Moscow first intervened three years previously. US-led Coalition strikes against ISIS continued however, with a significant and troubling rise in reported civilian harm in eastern Syria. October saw a near tripling […]

Conflict monitoring In September 2018, civilian harm remained at low levels from both international and domestic belligerents in the three conflict areas which Airwars presently monitors. Eight civilian harm events were attributed the US-led Coalition in Syria – the same number as in the previous month. While events reportedly involving Russia in Syria rose steeply, […]

Reported civilian harm in August from both Russian and Coalition actions were at their lowest levels for years, Airwars monitoring shows.

Overall, more than 3,700 civilians have been alleged killed in international military actions in Syria so far this year.

Reported civilian deaths from Russian actions were up by a third in Syria during the first six months of 2018. While claims against the Coalition were sharply down, several hundred civilians were still likely killed by the US-led alliance.

Coalition-attributed civilian casualties in Syria were up during May, while those blamed on Russia were sharply down.

Civilian fatalities from international military actions in both Iraq and Syria were at record low levels during April.

More than 1,200 civilians were alleged killed by Russian actions in Syria during March - setting a grim new record

Significant civilian casualties continued from reported Russian strikes in Syria's eastern Ghouta; and from Turkish actions in Afrin

Turkish and Russian military actions in Syria led to significant civilian casualties - while claims against the Coalition remained at a low level

Civilian deaths from Coalition actions were up by more than 200% in 2017, as the war against ISIS pushed deep into cities

With ISIS mostly defeated, Airwars tracked a major fall in reported Coalition civilian casualties in November. Russia remains a problem.

Civilians paid a heavy price in the final days of battle for Raqqa - with thousands of Coalition munitions raining down on the city.

As strikes targeting ISIS in Iraq wind down, an air-backed race against Islamic State in Syria has put civilians in extreme danger.

Despite a significant fall in reported Coalition casualty events in Iraq, the fierce battle for control of Raqqa meant August was the third deadliest month for non-combatants.

Coalition munition use - and civilian deaths - each drop by one third at Raqqa, as SDF campaign to capture city slows

Almost five times more Coalition than Russian civilian casualty allegations were tracked by Airwars during June

Hundreds of civilians are now being killed monthly in Coalition airstrikes in both Iraq and Syria, credible reports indicate

Civilians are at increased risk of harm from US airstrikes under President Trump, months of data indicate