The Civilian Harm Watchdog

Military Actors

NATO forces

NATO forces have been directly active in a number of modern conflicts, including in Afghanistan and against the military of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi in Libya in 2011.

Airwars documented hundreds of allegations of civilian harm from strikes in Libya in 2011, and has undertaken a number of investigations into NATO conduct.

84 incidents involving NATO forces

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▴ NATO fighter jets participating in NATO’s Ramstein Flag exercise in Greece. (October 4, 2024. Copyright: NATO)

Recent Documentation

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Incident Date

Incident Code

Location

سرت‎, Sirte, Surt, Libya

Five or more civilians were allegedly killed by a NATO airstrike on Sirte. Sirte martyrs posted the victims' names and said: "These heroes were martyred by the NATO bombing in Sirte on 20 Ramadan of the Nakba year corresponding to 08-20-2011." Al Gharib Al Ajli wrote: "Meanwhile, 5 NATO missiles collapsed on our house, 5…

Summary

Civilians reported killed

Causes of Death / Injury

Heavy weapons and explosive munitions

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Incident Date

Incident Code

Location

قاعدة طرابلس وبنغازي ومصراتة وسرت والوطية الجوية, Tripoli, Benghazi, Misurata, Sirte and Al Watyah airbase, Surt, Libya

Between 48 and 64 civilians were killed during the first day of NATO airstrikes in Libya, according to Gaddafi regime media. However, these numbers are heavily contested by non-partisan sources. Doualia wrote at the time: "Air strikes on several Libyan cities killed 48 people and wounded 150 in 'civilian areas,' a statement on Libyan state…

Summary

Civilians reported killed

Civilians reported injured

Causes of Death / Injury

Heavy weapons and explosive munitions

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Incident Date

1 November 2011

Incident Code

Location

مزرعة الأبحاث, Research Farm, Surt, Libya

One child was allegedly killed and his uncle injured by a NATO airstrike on a research farm near Sirte. Nour Al Din Nasser Al Zanki said: "Abd al-Hadi Hamad Abd al-Rahman Qazwari, the son of an 8-year-old, was struck by a warplane on the research farm and his uncle lost his legs." NATO did not…

Summary

1 November 2011

Civilians reported killed

Civilians reported injured

Causes of Death / Injury

Heavy weapons and explosive munitions

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Incident Date

19 October 2011

Incident Code

Location

سرت‎, Sirte, Surt, Libya

Six civilians, including one child, were allegedly killed by a NATO airstrike on Sirte. Libya Now said: "Yesterday, Saturday, the revolutionaries found in the city of Sirte a cemetery containing the remains of 6 people from one family, including a child, who were killed by the bombing of the second area at dawn last Wednesday."…

Summary

19 October 2011

Civilians reported killed

Causes of Death / Injury

Heavy weapons and explosive munitions

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Research and Investigations

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Investigations, Policy

The bombing of Quala 4131

Visual retelling of 2007 Dutch bombing in Afghanistan that killed at least 11 civilians, later ruled unlawful by Dutch court

Airwars/Altinget investigation sparks Danish civilian harm review

Danish Armed Forces ordered to conduct a formal review of the allegations

How we exposed secretive Danish role in Libyan civilian deaths

A behind-the-scenes look at the investigation that forced an official Danish military review

Annual report – 2022/23

Our work in 2022-2023

Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Palestinian territories, Libya, Israel, Yemen, Ukraine

Five takeaways from the first day of EWIPA negotiations

The shadow of the Ukraine conflict loomed large over the first day of the informal UN-backed consultations on a political declaration on restricting the use of wide area effect explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA), currently underway in Geneva. Delegates from more than 65 nations have gathered to fine tune the language of the political […]

US Defense Secretary announces major shakeup of Pentagon civilian harm policies

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has announced major proposals to overhaul how the US military monitors, assesses and documents when its actions kill civilians, a move warily welcomed by human rights and civilian harm mitigation NGOs. Building on years of documentation by groups like the Syrian Network for Human Rights and Airwars, since late 2021 […]