Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident date

December 14, 2022

Incident Code

USSOM362

LOCATION

Cadale, Middle Shabelle, Somalia

US declared airstrikes near Cadale, Middle Shabelle, Somalia on December 14, 2022 allegedly killed seven al-Shabaab militants, with no civilians killed or injured. Statements from the Somali government put casualty counts at 88 al-Shabaab militants killed in Middle Shabelle. AFRICOM released a statement on December 18th that “At the request of the Federal Government of

Summary

First published
December 14, 2022
Last updated
May 30, 2023
Strike status
Declared strike
Strike type
Airstrike, Ground operation
Civilian harm reported
No
Civilians reported killed
Unknown
Cause of injury / death
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Known belligerent
US Forces
Known target
Al-Shabaab
Geolocation
Town
Belligerents reported killed
7–88
View Incident

CENTCOM for December 11, 2022 – December 11, 2022
Original
Annotated

Report Date

December 11, 2022

Dec. 11, 2022

Release Number 20221211-09

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TAMPA, Fla. – US Central Command forces conducted a successful helicopter raid in eastern Syria at 2:57 a.m. local time on December 11, killing two ISIS officials including Anas, an ISIS Syria Province Official who was involved in the group’s deadly plotting and facilitation operations in eastern Syria. Extensive planning went into this unilateral operation to ensure its success. Initial assessments indicate no civilians were killed or injured.

The United States remains committed to countering the global threat from ISIS in partnership with local forces. ISIS continues to pursue an aggressive operational agenda, including external attacks that threaten US allies and partners in the region and beyond.

“ISIS continues to represent a threat to the security and stability of the region. This operation reaffirms CENTCOM’s steadfast commitment to ensuring the group’s enduring defeat,” said Joe Buccino, a CENTCOM spokesperson. “The death of these ISIS officials will disrupt the terrorist organization’s ability to further plot and carry out destabilizing attacks in the Middle East.”

Incident date

November 30, 2022

Incident Code

USYEMBi007

LOCATION

حدبا العوشان, Hadba Al Awshan, Ma'rib, Yemen

Between one to three civilians, including a woman and two children, were reported killed and up to five others, including a woman, a child and two paramedics, were injured in alleged US drone strikes on a home in the Al-Hadba area of Al-Wadi, Marib on November 30, 2022. A member of Ansar al-Sharia (AQAP) who

Summary

First published
November 30, 2022
Last updated
December 13, 2022
Strike status
Likely strike
Strike type
Airstrike, Drone Strike
Civilian harm reported
Yes
Civilians reported killed
1 – 3
(2 children1 woman)
Civilians reported injured
2–5
Cause of injury / death
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Airwars civilian harm grading
Fair
Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
Suspected belligerent
US Forces
Suspected target
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
Geolocation
Village
Belligerents reported killed
0–1
Belligerents reported injured
0–1
View Incident

Published

November 25, 2022

Written by

Megan Karlshoej-Pedersen

Header Image

The signing ceremony for the Political Declaration on the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas (EWIPA) on November 18th 2022 in Dublin Castle. Over 80 state delegations such as the UK (pictured) officially endorsed the declaration.

An overview of the actions needed

On Friday November 18th, states and civil society joined together in Dublin Castle to officially endorse the long-awaited international Political Declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA). So far, 82 states have signed onto the declaration; this is a similar number to the initial signatories to other international declarations that have created new norms and standards in warfare, such as the Safe Schools Declaration. Among the signatories to the EWIPA declaration are states such as the US, UK, Netherlands, and Belgium, all of which made sizable contributions to the coalition against ISIS in Iraq and Syria that killed an estimated 8,194–13,249 civilians.

According to Action on Armed Violence, when EWIPAs are used, over 90% of those harmed are civilians. Airwars recently put together a series of maps showing the clear and troubling connection between population density in cities and civilian deaths during urban warfare. Even beyond those who are killed immediately, the reverberating effects are often severe and pervasive, with schools, hospitals, livelihoods, and basic resources like food and water becoming inaccessible for years. This has played out in recent conflicts in cities such as Mosul and Raqqa, in which entire city parts were destroyed and have been made uninhabitable.

The Irish-led, UN backed international declaration is a groundbreaking step towards curbing the use of such weapons. It comes at the back of a decade of civil society focus and pressure on this, led by the INEW network, which Airwars is a part of. As with any political declaration, the results are only as good as the implementation. Below, we outline some of the challenges states must address as they begin the process of implementing the EWIPA declaration.

States must be frank about gaps in their current approach

The first step in understanding how to implement the declaration to limit the use of EWIPAs must be for each state to critically examine current gaps in its own approach and engage in a meaningful process to address these. This in itself might be a stumbling block for some; while states such as the US and the Netherlands have shown increasing willingness to address gaps in their approach to the protection of civilians by working with civil society and experts, others have not.

The UK for instance, still falls behind allies in terms of transparency on evidence collection around civilian harm. Under the declaration, states committed to: “Collect, share, and make publicly available disaggregated data on the direct and indirect effects on civilians and civilian objects of military operations involving the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, where feasible and appropriate”. Despite the UK representative in Dublin noting during the signing ceremony that “the UK already has policies and procedures in place to support the implementation”, this has to date not been evident when it comes to public reporting on the effects of UK military actions.

As it stands, the UK maintains that it has evidence of only a single civilian casualty from its actions in the seven year anti-ISIS campaign, for example, despite extensive military involvement. The US, by comparison, has admitted to over 1,400 civilian casualties as part of the Coalition.  When challenged, UK officials tend to emphasise that they are aware that is not a case of lower civilian casualties than in previous conflicts – but of poor evidence gathering. This position was summarised by former Armed Forces Minister, Mark Lancaster, who emphasised in 2019 that; “[I]t is not our position that there has been only a single civilian casualty as a result of our military action. What we are saying is that we have evidence of only a single, or what we believe to have been a single, civilian casualty.”

In spite of this oft-repeated recognition that the evidence gathering mechanisms of the UK are not able to accurately reflect the reality on the ground, there is, to our knowledge, no process in place to improve this approach and little willingness to engage with civil society to address this. If this is not addressed, there will be a significant gap between the rhetoric of UK leadership when it comes to EWIPA and the reality on the ground.

States must build clarity on who is responsible for implementing the EWIPA declaration on a national level

The second step states must take to implement the EWIPA declaration is to gain better internal understandings of who will be involved in its implementation. This must include those focusing specifically on EWIPA, but also those focusing on topics such as human security, the protection of civilians, humanitarian response, development, diplomacy, and all the other elements required to protect those caught in conflict from being harmed by explosive weapons.The structures behind overseas military engagements are complex, quick changing, and lines of responsibility are often murky. Yet it is only if all involved in such operations, across parliament, ministries of defence, and ministries of foreign affairs and overseas development, are dedicated to limiting the use of EWIPA, understanding their impact, and tracking civilian harm that occurs if they are used, that implementation will be effective.

States must be open to civil society inclusion in the implementation of the EWIPA declaration 

Civil society actors, many of us united under the INEW banner, played a significant role in the development of the EWIPA declaration and the advocacy that brought states to the process, a fact that was acknowledged by a large number of states at the conference in Dublin. We stand ready to support the implementation in national contexts and across international coalitions. Many civil society organisations have spent years – sometimes decades – developing protection mechanisms and civilian harm tracking mechanisms, as well as conducting research into valuable lessons on the impact of EWIPA. Civil society organisations are also often direct links to the communities affected. It is in all of our interests that these resources are effectively shared with those in power.

In those states where there is a history of poor transparency and accountability on civilian harm and civilian harm tracking, governments and their militaries must also commit to a certain level of transparency on the implementation of the EWIPA declaration. They should work with civil society actors to understand the gaps in their current approach and set up milestones for implementation.

Looking forward

The endorsing ceremony was a promising step towards recognising the immense harm that these weapons have caused in recent years – and the harm they will continue to cause as their impact reverberates through communities. If the declaration is implemented well, fewer civilians will be harmed by explosive weapons in their cities, towns, and camps.

Yet there are pitfalls each state must avoid if their implementation of the declaration is to be meaningful. They must be frank about current gaps in their system and must be willing to address them. They must gain an oversight of everyone who will play a role in the effective implementation of EWIPA. And they should work with civil society actors who have resources to share and stand ready to support implementation.

Additional resources:

    Implementation Brief: Political Declaration on the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas, CIVIC, November 2022 (here) Safeguarding Civilians: A Humanitarian Interpretation of the Political Declaration on the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas, Human Rights watch and the International Human Rights Clinic at Harvard Law school, October 2022 (here) Implementing the Political Declaration on the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas: Key Areas and Implementing Actions, INEW and Article 36, November 2022 (here) Over 80 Countries Committed to Curb Use of Explosive Weapons, Now Comes the Hard Part, Bonnie Docherty, Human Rights Watch for Just Security, November 23rd 2022 (here)
▲ The signing ceremony for the Political Declaration on the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas (EWIPA) on November 18th 2022 in Dublin Castle. Over 80 state delegations such as the UK (pictured) officially endorsed the declaration.

Incident date

November 23, 2022

Incident Code

USSOM357

LOCATION

Bulo Madina, Lower Shabelle, Somalia

Over 49 al-Shabaab militants were reportedly killed and others were wounded by Somali forces and “international partner” airstrikes/ground operations in the Bulo Madina area of Lower Shabelle on November 22, 2022. Garrote Online reported that according to the Ministry of Information, over 49 militants were killed by an airstrike following an operation by the Somali

Summary

First published
November 22, 2022
Last updated
November 19, 2024
Strike status
Contested strike
Strike type
Airstrike, Ground operation
Civilian harm reported
No
Civilians reported killed
Unknown
Cause of injury / death
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Suspected belligerents
US Forces, Somali Military Forces, International Forces (Unknown)
Suspected target
Al-Shabaab
Geolocation
Village
Belligerents reported killed
49
Belligerents reported injured
2
View Incident

Incident date

November 9, 2022

Incident Code

USSOM356

LOCATION

285 kilometers northeast of Mogadishu, Galguduud, Somalia

At least 17 militants were killed by US AFRICOM declared airstrikes approximately 285 kilometers northeast, possibly in Basra, Balad district and/or in Ceel Gorof (Galmudug) on November 9, 2022. AFRICOM released a statement two days after the incident, November 11th, that “Somali National Army forces were engaged with al Shabaab fighters in a remote area

Summary

First published
November 9, 2022
Last updated
February 13, 2023
Strike status
Declared strike
Strike type
Airstrike, Ground operation
Civilian harm reported
No
Civilians reported killed
Unknown
Cause of injury / death
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Known belligerent
US Forces
Known target
Al-Shabaab
Geolocation
Nearby landmark
Belligerents reported killed
17–97
View Incident

AFRICOM for November 9, 2022 – November 9, 2022
Original
Annotated

Report Date

November 9, 2022

Somali National Army forces were engaged with al-Shabaab fighters in a remote area approximately 285 kilometers northeast of Mogadishu on Nov. 9, 2022. At the request of the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted a collective self-defense strike against the al-Shabaab terrorists who were attacking the Somali forces.

Working with the Somali National Army, U.S. Africa Command’s initial assessment is that the strike killed 17 attacking al-Shabaab terrorists and that no civilians were injured or killed.

U.S. Africa Command takes great measures to prevent civilian casualties. Protecting civilians remains a vital part of the command’s operations to promote greater security for all Africans.

Al-Shabaab is the largest and most deadly al-Qaeda network in the world and has proven both its will and capability to attack Somali, East African, and American civilians.

Somalia remains key to the stability and security in all of East Africa. U.S. Africa Command’s forces will continue training, advising, and equipping partner forces to give them the tools that they need to defeat al-Shabaab.

U.S. Africa Command will continue to assess the results of this operation and will provide additional information as appropriate. Specific details about the units involved and assets used will not be released in order to ensure operations security.

U.S. Africa Command, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, with partners, counters malign actors and transnational threats, responds to crises, and strengthens security forces in order to advance U.S. national interests and promote regional security, stability and prosperity.

Incident date

November 3, 2022

Incident Code

USSOM355

LOCATION

near the villages of Cadale, Mora-Erri, Garas Magan, and El Hareeri, Hiiraan, Somalia

Between eight and 200 al-Shabaab militants were killed by declared US airstrikes in support of Somali forces and/or Somali ground operations near the villages of Cadale, Mora-Erri, Garas Magan, and El Hareeri on November 3, 2022. AFRICOM released a statement two days later, on November 5th, that “In support of the Federal Government of Somalia’s

Summary

First published
November 3, 2022
Last updated
February 13, 2023
Strike status
Declared strike
Strike type
Airstrike, Drone Strike, Ground operation
Civilian harm reported
No
Civilians reported killed
Unknown
Cause of injury / death
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Known belligerent
US Forces
Known target
Al-Shabaab
Geolocation
Town
Belligerents reported killed
8–200
View Incident

AFRICOM for November 3, 2022 – November 3, 2022
Original
Annotated

Report Date

November 3, 2022

In support of the Federal Government of Somalia’s ongoing operations against al-Shabaab, U.S. Africa Command conducted a collective self-defense strike against al-Shabaab terrorists who were attacking Somali National Army forces near Cadale, Somalia, on Nov. 3, 2022.

The command’s initial assessment is that the Somalia National Army-requested strike killed 15 attacking al-Shabaab terrorists and that no civilians were injured or killed.

U.S. Africa Command takes great measures to prevent civilian casualties. Protecting civilians remains a vital part of the command’s operations to promote a more secure and stable Africa.

Al-Shabaab is the largest and most kinetically active al-Qaeda network in the world and has proved both its will and capability to attack partner and U.S. forces and threaten U.S. security interests.

Somalia remains key to the security environment in East Africa. U.S. Africa Command’s forces will continue training, advising, and equipping partner forces to give them the tools that they need to degrade al-Shabaab.

U.S. Africa Command will continue to assess the results of the operation and will provide additional information as appropriate. Specific details about the units involved and assets used will not be released in order to ensure operations security.

-30-

U.S. Africa Command, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, with partners, counters malign actors and transnational threats, responds to crises, and strengthens security forces in order to advance U.S. national interests and promote regional security, stability and prosperity.

Incident date

October 23, 2022

Incident Code

USSOM354

LOCATION

near Buulobarde, Hiiraan, Somalia

At least two al-Shabaab militants were killed by a declared US airstrike near Buulobarde, Somalia on October 23, 2022. AFRICOM released a statement that “In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted an airstrike against al-Shabaab terrorists who were attacking Somali National Army forces near Buulobarde, Somalia, about 218 km north-northwest

Summary

First published
October 23, 2022
Last updated
February 13, 2023
Strike status
Declared strike
Strike type
Airstrike, Ground operation
Civilian harm reported
No
Civilians reported killed
Unknown
Cause of injury / death
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Known belligerent
US Forces
Known target
Al-Shabaab
Geolocation
Town
Belligerents reported killed
2–100
View Incident

AFRICOM for October 23, 2022 – October 23, 2022
Original
Annotated

Report Date

October 23, 2022

In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted an airstrike against al-Shabaab terrorists who were attacking Somali National Army forces near Buulobarde, Somalia, about 218 km north-northwest of Mogadishu, on Oct. 23, 2022.

The command’s initial assessment is that the strike killed two attacking al-Shabaab terrorists and that no civilians were injured or killed.

U.S. Africa Command takes great measures to prevent civilian casualties. Protecting civilians remains a vital part of the command’s operations to promote a more secure and stable Africa.

Al-Shabaab is the largest and most kinetically active al-Qaeda network in the world and has proved both its will and capability to attack U.S. forces and threaten U.S. security interests. U.S. Africa Command, alongside its partners, continues to take action to prevent this malicious terrorist group from planning and conducting attacks on civilians.

Somalia remains key to the security environment in East Africa. U.S. Africa Command’s forces will continue training, advising, and equipping partner forces to give them the tools that they need to degrade al-Shabaab.

U.S. Africa Command will continue to assess the results of the operation and will provide additional information as appropriate. Specific details about the units involved and assets used will not be released in order to ensure operations security.

U.S. Africa Command, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, with partners, counters malign actors and transnational threats, responds to crises, and strengthens security forces in order to advance U.S. national interests and promote regional security, stability and prosperity.

Incident date

October 6, 2022

Incident Code

CS1984

LOCATION

جرابلس, Jarabulus, Aleppo, Syria

At least one civilian was injured in alleged Syrian Democratic Forces shelling and/or a declared US airstrike near the banks of the Euphrates River in the city of Jarabulus on October 6, 2022. However, one local source said that 15 people were injured in the incident. Two accused ISIS members were also killed in a

Summary

First published
October 6, 2022
Last updated
July 4, 2023
Strike status
Contested strike
Strike type
Airstrike, Artillery, Ground operation
Civilian harm reported
Yes
Civilians reported killed
1 – 2
Civilians reported injured
2–15
Cause of injury / death
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Airwars civilian harm grading
Contested
Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
Suspected belligerent
YPG
Known belligerent
US Forces
Suspected targets
ISIS, Turkish Forces
Geolocation
Exact location (via Airwars)
Belligerents reported killed
2
View Incident

Incident date

October 1, 2022

Incident Code

USSOM353-C

LOCATION

near Haramka, Middle Juba, Somalia

One high ranking al-Shabaab leader was killed by declared US and Somali airstrikes near Haramka in Middle Juba on October 1, 2022. Local sources also reported that another man named Ibrahim Hassan Dahir was also killed but are conflicted as to his status as a militant or civilian. According to AFP, a top al-Shabaab leader

Summary

First published
October 1, 2022
Last updated
April 30, 2024
Strike status
Declared strike
Strike type
Airstrike, Drone Strike
Civilian harm reported
Yes
Civilians reported killed
0 – 1
(0–1 men)
Cause of injury / death
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Airwars civilian harm grading
Fair
Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
Known belligerent
US Forces
Known target
Al-Shabaab
Geolocation
Town
Belligerents reported killed
1–2
View Incident

AFRICOM for October 1, 2022 – October 1, 2022
Original
Annotated

Report Date

October 1, 2022

In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted an airstrike against the al-Shabaab militant network in Somalia on Oct. 1, 2022. The strike occurred near Jilib, about 370 kilometers southwest of Mogadishu.

The command’s initial assessment is that the strike killed an al-Shabaab leader and that no civilians were injured or killed.

U.S. Africa Command takes great measures to prevent civilian casualties. Protecting innocent civilians remains a vital part of the command’s operations to promote a more secure and stable Africa.

Al-Shabaab is the largest and most kinetically active al-Qaeda network in the world and has proved both its will and capability to attack U.S. forces and threaten U.S. security interests. U.S. Africa Command, alongside its partners, continues to take action to prevent this malicious terrorist group from planning and conducting attacks on civilians.

Somalia remains key to the security environment in East Africa. U.S. Africa Command’s forces will continue training, advising, and equipping partner forces to give them the tools that they need to degrade al-Shabaab.

U.S. Africa Command will continue to assess the results of the operation and will provide additional information as appropriate. Specific details about the units involved and assets used will not be released in order to ensure operations security.

U.S. Africa Command, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, with partners, counters malign actors and transnational threats, responds to crises, and strengthens security forces in order to advance U.S. national interests and promote regional security, stability and prosperity.

بالتنسيق مع الحكومة الفيدرالية الصومالية ، شنت القيادة الأمريكية لإفريقيا غارة جوية على مقاتلي شبكة الشباب اللارهابية في الصومال يوم 1 أكتوبر. ووقعت الضربة بالقرب من جيليب ، على بعد حوالي 370 ً كيلومترا جنوب غرب مقديشو. ُقتل أي مدنيين. ُصب أو ي التقدير الأولي للقيادة هو أن الغارة قتلت قياديا في حركة الشباب ولم ي تتخذ القيادة الأمريكية لإفريقيا تدابير كبيرة لمنع وقوع إصابات بين المدنيين. تظل حماية المدنيين الأبرياء ًا من عمليات القيادة لتعزيز لتعزيز الأمن والاستقرار إفريقيا. ً جزء في ا حيوي حركة الشباب هي أكبر شبكة تابعة للقاعدة وأكثرها ً نشاطا قتاليا في العالم وقد أثبتت إرادتها وقدرتها على ًا إلى مهاجمة القوات الأمريكية وتهديد المصالح الأمنية الأمريكية. تواصل القيادة الأمريكية لإفريقيا ، جنب جنب مع شركائها ، اتخاذ إجراءات لمنع هذه المجموعة الإرهابية الخبيثة من التخطيط لشن هجمات ضد المدنيين. يظل الصومال مفتاح البيئة الأمنية في شرق إفريقيا. ستواصل قوات القيادة الأمريكية لإفريقيا تدريب وتقديم المشورة وتجهيز القوات الشريكة لمنحهم الأدوات التي يحتاجونها لتقويض حركة الشباب. ستستمر القيادة الأمريكية لإفريقيا في تقييم نتائج العملية وستقدم معلومات إضافية حسب الاقتضاء. لن يتم الإفصاح عن تفاصيل محددة حول الوحدات المعنية والأصول المستخدمة من أجل ضمان أمن العمليات. ‐30‐  القيادة الأمريكية لأفريقيا ، ومقرها في شتوتغارت بألمانيا ، مع شركاء ، تقاوم الجهات الفاعلة الخبيثة والتهديدات العابرة للحدود وتستجيب للأزمات وتعزز قوات الأمن من أجل تعزيز المصالح الوطنية الأمريكية وتعزيز الأمن والاستقرار والازدهار الإقليمي

القيادة الأمريكية لأفريقيا ، ومقرها في شتوتغارت بألمانيا ، مع شركاء ، تقاوم الجهات الفاعلة الخبيثة والتهديدات العابرة للحدود وتستجيب للأزمات وتعزز قوات .الأمن من أجل تعزيز المصالح الوطنية للولايات المتحدة وتعزيز الأمن والاستقرار والازدهار الإقليمي

En coordination avec le Gouvernement fédéral de la Somalie, le Commandement des États-Unis pour l’Afrique a mené une frappe aérienne contre le réseau militant al-Shabaab en Somalie le 1er octobre. La frappe s’est produite près de Jilib, à environ 370 kilomètres au sud-ouest de Mogadiscio. L’évaluation initiale du commandement est que la frappe a tué un chef d’al-Shabaab et qu’aucun civil n’a été blessé ou tué. Le Commandement américain pour l’Afrique prend de grandes mesures pour éviter les pertes civiles. La protection des civils innocents reste un élément essentiel des opérations du commandement pour promouvoir une Afrique plus sûre et plus stable. Al-Shabaab est le réseau d’Al-Qaïda le plus vaste et le plus actif sur le plan cinétique au monde et a prouvé à la fois sa volonté et sa capacité à attaquer les forces américaines et à menacer les intérêts de sécurité des États-Unis. Le Commandement des États-Unis pour l’Afrique, aux côtés de ses partenaires, continue de prendre des mesures pour empêcher ce groupe terroriste malveillant de planifier et de mener des attaques contre des civils. La Somalie reste la clé de l’environnement sécuritaire en Afrique de l’Est. Les forces du Commandement américain pour l’Afrique continueront de former, de conseiller et d’équiper les forces partenaires pour leur donner les outils dont elles ont besoin pour dégrader al-Shabaab. Le Commandement des États-Unis pour l’Afrique continuera d’évaluer les résultats de l’opération et fournira des informations supplémentaires si nécessaire. Les détails spécifiques sur les unités impliquées et les actifs utilisés ne seront pas divulgués afin d’assurer la sécurité des opérations. -30- Le Commandement des États-Unis pour l’Afrique, dont le siège est à Stuttgart, en Allemagne, avec des partenaires, contrecarre les acteurs malveillants et les menaces transnationales, répond aux crises et renforce les forces de sécurité afin de faire progresser les intérêts nationaux des États-Unis et de promouvoir la sécurité, la stabilité et la prospérité régionales

Published

September 2022

Written by

Airwars Staff

The Pentagon’s annual report to Congress, released yesterday, on civilian deaths and injuries resulting from US military actions in Afghanistan, Somalia, Iraq and Syria has declared responsibility for 12 deaths and five injuries in 2021. All 12 deaths conceded were in Afghanistan; injuries were reported resulting from actions in both Somalia and Afghanistan.

While these mostly align with public reports on Afghanistan and Somalia – the lack of any incidents for Syria are of serious concern. Airwars has documented at least 17 incidents in which harm to civilians occurred as a result of US actions; this includes 15 civilian deaths, and 17 injuries.

Alongside reports of casualties in 2021, included in the annual report are additional cases from past actions under Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) – the operation to defeat ISIS. In these cases too, conceded casualty reports are significantly lower than local reporting suggests.

These casualty releases have been much anticipated this year, as the Department of Defense worked on its new Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action plan, published earlier this month. Towards the end of last year, reporting from Azmat Khan at the New York Times drew renewed attention in international media to the range of issues around how civilian casualties were assessed by the US in Iraq and Syria, prompting the review by US officials.

However the US’ military actions and its track record on civilian casualties have long been the subject of criticism, with calls for accountability and greater transparency on civilian harm mitigation and tracking throughout the so-called ‘forever wars’. In last year’s annual report, Airwars and others raised serious concerns with the 2020 annual casualty admissions – noting that reporting from other sources placed the civilian death toll at five times higher than the numbers admitted by the DoD.

OIR

In its 2021 report, the Department of Defense conceded no deaths or injuries in either Iraq or Syria for 2021. The report states that there were six cases of civilian harm received by OIR in 2021; 3 of which have been assessed as non-credible, while the other three are still open.

These rejected civilian harm claims likely correspond to incidents mentioned in previous press releases by OIR, which account for at least one civilian fatality and two injuries. The civilian fatality assessed as ‘non-credible’ was claimed by local sources to be a 7-year old boy, killed while US forces were reportedly conducting a training exercise. 

It is unclear if the remaining open cases mentioned in the annual report include the two cases previously noted as open by CENTCOM earlier this year.

Airwars own research indicates that there were at least 15 additional cases alleging harm resulting from US actions carried out in Syria throughout 2021.  US military actions in Syria in 2021 primarily included support to local ally the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in north eastern Syria – where civilian harm was often reported during targeted operations on suspected ISIS militants.

In one such incident, typical of the types of allegations recorded last year – a man and his son were allegedly killed in a raid carried out by the SDF with air support from the US military while they were said to be grazing their sheep. Local sources reported that the incident sparked “a wave of panic” among the civilians in the neighbourhood.

Our full incident archive can be found here.

Baghouz, Syria – the last ISIS stronghold

This year’s report contained three cases of previous harm allegations in Baghouz in 2019 – including the controversial March 18th 2019 strike which was the subject of an extensive investigation by the New York Times released at the end of last year, and prompted an internal investigation at the directive of the Secretary of Defense.

In the final major battle in the war against ISIS, the US-led Coalition carried out an intensive campaign to recapture the last ISIS territorial stronghold. Mass civilian casualty incidents were reported at the time – by the end of the campaign in March, reports of hundreds of casualties were being circulated online, including disturbing footage of mass graves and charred bodies. The New York Times revealed that one of the final strikes by the US-led Coalition included a 2000-pound bomb, dropped on a crowded area.

The 2021 annual report continues a pattern observed consistently by casualty recorders of significant discrepancies between conceded casualties and local allegations throughout this campaign; more so even than in other – more contested – battlegrounds, such as the Battle of Mosul.

In total – the US has conceded just 3% of even the most conservative estimates of civilian harm reported during the Battle of Deir Ezzor; compared with over a third of casualties alleged in the Battle of Mosul, for example.

Airwars puts the minimum likely estimate of deaths during this campaign at 695, while the US admits to less than 30 – including those now conceded in the annual report.

The incidents

Notably, this is the first time that the March 18th incident has been officially confirmed in public reporting by DoD – the incident was rejected previously as ‘non-credible’ twice by OIR; with an assessment reopened only after widespread media attention on the case at the end of last year.

Local sources have alleged at least 160 civilian fatalities resulted from the strike, including up to 45 children. In May this year, General Garrett – the four-star general put in charge of leading an investigation into the case – rejected almost all allegations of wrong-doing by US military forces during the operation. His investigation, which was kept classified apart from the Executive Summary, concluded that nearly all those killed were combatants.

In another of the incidents included in the report, from February 2019, we were able to identify at least three possible matches to incidents in our archive (here, here and here). While no civilian deaths were conceded by the US, local reports indicate that in one incident alone at least 50 civilians were said to have been killed.

One of the conceded events also matches a confirmed incident published in a press release earlier this year – an airstrike on March 13th 2019; nearly all sources reported that those killed in this strike had been women and children living in a camp in Baghouz. Fatality estimates ranged from 20 to 100 civilians, while the US admitted to four civilian deaths.

Afghanistan

The US withdrew officially from Afghanistan in September 2021. There were 10 reports of civilian casualties from combat operations in Afghanistan, 4 of which were deemed credible – the DoD conceded the deaths of 12 civilians, and the injuries of 2 civilians. 10 of the civilians who died all died in the same incident on August 29, 2021 in Kabul – this likely refers to the botched drone strike on an aid worker in Kabul, which the DoD later admitted was a ‘tragic mistake’.

UNAMA, which monitors civilian casualties in Afghanistan, raised the alarm over increasing civilian casualties in Afghanistan as the situation deteriorated. However, it appears that these incidents had not been attributed by UNAMA to the US at the time of their latest report published in June last year, which contained no casualty incidents resulting from international military actions in 2021 – though notably some incidents were still under review at the time of publication.

Somalia

The US also maintains an active military presence in Somalia, recently bolstered by Biden’s decision to redeploy US troops in Somalia in May of this year. The report did not state a total number of cases in 2021 that it had investigated, but reported on one incident that had previously been conceded by AFRICOM.

Despite an initial assessment by AFRICOM that no civilians had been harmed in the strike, which took place in January 2021, in its first quarterly report last year AFRICOM admitted that three civilians had been ‘inadvertently injured’ when US forces conducted an air strike on what was reported to be an al-Shabaab radio station.

The US has carried out at least 254 raids or airstrikes in Somalia since 2007, and has acknowledged five civilian deaths throughout this period. Airwars own research puts this total number at minimum 78 fatalities.

While the 2021 figure aligns with public reporting, it should be noted that there are significant challenges with harm documentation in Somalia given the security environment.

DoD acknowledges “inconsistent” civilian harm investigation process

This year’s annual report references the recently released Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan (CHMR-AP) in part to explain any potential discrepancies between DoD admissions and public reporting. The annual report acknowledges that “specific processes for reviewing or investigating incidents have varied over the years”, while the CHMR-AP explicitly noted that practices for conducting assessments and investigations had been “applied inconsistently across DoD”.

The comprehensive action plan is intended to address such inconsistencies; though for those civilians who have had their cases rejected as non-credible, or for those who have never had their cases investigated at all – the promise of review and reform is likely too late.

According to Airwars’ archive, the possible death toll from the US-led Coalition’s actions in the war against ISIS alone could be at least 8,192 and as many as 13,247 civilians killed. OIR in total has acknowledged killing approximately 1500 civilians – though notably, many individual member states have yet to accept responsibility for their own efforts. The UK MoD, for example, has yet to admit more than one civilian was killed by its actions in the entire campaign.

▲ Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III briefs the media on Afghanistan, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Aug. 18, 2021. (DoD photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Julian Kemper)

Incident date

September 18, 2022

Incident Code

USSOM352

LOCATION

near Bulabarde, Hiiraan, Somalia

AFRICOM declared conducting an airstrike on September 18th 2022 against Al-Shabaab terrorists who were reportedly attacking the Somalia National Army forces near Buulobarde, Somalia. The US confirmed responsibility for killing 27 militants in this strike, according to the US, with the Somalia National Army saying that over 100 militants were killed in the whole operation

Summary

First published
September 18, 2022
Last updated
February 13, 2023
Strike status
Declared strike
Strike type
Airstrike, Ground operation
Civilian harm reported
No
Civilians reported killed
Unknown
Cause of injury / death
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Suspected belligerent
US Forces
Known target
Al-Shabaab
Geolocation
Town
Belligerents reported killed
27–100
View Incident

AFRICOM for September 18, 2022 – September 18, 2022
Original
Annotated

Report Date

September 18, 2022

At the request of the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted an airstrike against al-Shabaab terrorists who were attacking Somali National Army forces near Buulobarde, Somalia, on Sept. 18, 2022.

The command’s initial assessment is that the strike killed 27 al-Shabaab terrorists and that no civilians were injured.  U.S. forces are authorized to conduct strikes in defense of designated partner forces.  The defensive strikes allowed the Somali National Army and African Union Transition Mission in Somalia forces to regain the initiative and continue the operation to disrupt al-Shabaab in the Hiraan region of central Somalia. This operation is the largest combined Somali and ATMIS offensive operation in five years.

U.S. Africa Command take great measures to prevent civilian casualties. These efforts contrast with the indiscriminate attacks that al-Shabaab regularly conducts against the civilian population.

Violent extremist organizations like al-Shabaab present long-term threats to Somali, regional and U.S. interests. The U.S. will continue to support Somali and ATMIS partners in defeating al-Shabaab terrorists who threaten the peace and stability of Somalia.

À la demande du Gouvernement fédéral de la Somalie, le commandement américaine pour l’Afrique a mené une frappe aérienne contre des terroristes d’al-Shabaab qui attaquaient les forces de l’Armée nationale somaliennes près de Buulobarde, en Somalie, le 18 septembre. L’évaluation initiale du commandement est que la frappe aérienne a tué 27 terroristes d’alShabaab et qu’aucun civil n’a été blessé. Les forces américaines sont autorisées à effectuer des frappes aériennes pour défendre les forces des partenaires désignées. Les frappes aériennes défensives ont permis à l’Armée nationale somaliennes aux forces de la Mission de transition de l’Union africaine en somalie (Atmis) de regagner l’initiative et de poursuivre l’opération pour perturber Al-Shabaab dans la région d’Hiraan, dans le centre de la Somalie. Cette opération est la plus grande opération offensive conjointe somalienne et d’Atmis en cinq ans. Le commandement américaine pour l’Afrique prend de grandes mesures pour prévenir les victimes civiles. Ces efforts contrastent avec les attaques aveugles que l’al-Shabaab mène régulièrement contre la population civile.

استجابة لطلب من الحكومة الفيدرالية الصومالية ، أجرت القيادة األمريكية إلفريقيا غارة جوية ضد إرهابيي حركة الشباب الذين كانوا يهاجمون قوات الجيش الوطني الصومالي بالقرب من بوولوباردي في الصومال ، في 18 سبتمبر. التقييم األولي للقيادة هو أن الغارة الجوية قتلت 27 إرهابيًا من حركة الشباب وأنه لم يُصب أي مدنيين. القوات األمريكية مخولة بإجراء ضربات دفا ًعا عن القوات الشريكة المعينة. سمحت الغارات الدفاعية للجيش الوطني الصومالي ولقوات المهمة االنتقالية لالتحاد األفريقي في الصومال )أتميس( باستعادة المبادرة ومواصلة العملية لتعطيل الشباب في منطقة هييران في وسط الصومال. هذه العملية هي أكبر عملية هجومية صومالية مشتركة في الخمس سنوات االخيرة. تتخذ القيادة األمريكية تدابير عظيمة لمنع سقوط ضحايا من المدنيين. تتناقض هذه الجهود مع الهجمات العشوائية التي تشنها حركة الشباب االرهابية بانتظام ضد السكان المدنيين. تُمثل المنظمات المتطرفة العنيفة مثل حركة الشباب تهديدات طويلة األمد للمصالح الصومالية واإلقليمية واألمريكية. ستواصل الواليات المتحدة دعم شركائها الصوماليين ومن )أتميس( في هزيمة إرهابيي الشاباب الذين يهددون سالم واستقرار الصومال.

Incident date

September 9, 2022

Incident Code

USSOM351-C

LOCATION

Mubarak, Lower Shabelle, Somalia

Up to 10 civilians, including a child, were killed and up to 20 others were injured in alleged Somali and/or US airstrikes or drone strikes on the village of Mubarak on September 9, 2022. Sources are conflicted as to whether one of the people, Abdullahi Sheikh Abukar known locally as ‘Arab” was a member of

Summary

First published
September 9, 2022
Last updated
April 30, 2024
Strike status
Contested strike
Strike type
Airstrike, Drone Strike
Civilian harm reported
Yes
Civilians reported killed
3 – 10
(1 child)
Civilians reported injured
10–20
Cause of injury / death
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Airwars civilian harm grading
Contested
Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
Suspected belligerent
US Forces
Suspected target
Al-Shabaab
Named victims
9 named
Geolocation
Village
Belligerents reported killed
0–2
Belligerents reported injured
0–10
View Incident

Published

August 26, 2022

Written by

Megan Karlshoej-Pedersen

New action plan contains positive steps - the focus now is on implementation and renewed efforts to ensure past cases are not forgotten.

Airwars joins our civil society partners in welcoming the publication of the much awaited Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan (CHMR-AP), released yesterday by the US Department of Defense.

The CHMR-AP reflects a years-long process of sustained pressure by individuals, civil society, journalists, activists and legislators to challenge the way the US military conducts itself in the battlefield, and force the Department of Defense to review practices that have had deadly outcomes for civilians across the globe – from the battles of Mosul and Raqqa in the war against ISIS, to the botched Kabul strike last year.

In response to this sustained pressure,  catalysed by a series of Pulitzer-winning New York Times articles exposing serious concerns with US military practices in January 2022, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III issued a memorandum calling for the creation of the CHMR-AP. Austin called for the CHMR-AP to set up a process for the establishment of a new centre of excellence, and a framework for standardising civilian harm reporting, investigation and mitigation.

The 46-page document is an unprecedented move toward transparency, and was put together following a series of key engagements with civil society actors and independent specialists. Presenting a far reaching future-looking agenda, it is applicable to the ‘full spectrum of conflict’ – from current operations, large and small, to any future situations of high-intensity conflict.

Covering 11 distinct objectives – ranging from actions to reduce confirmation bias to implementation of a new data management system; each with a proposed set of phased actions and associated resource plan, the CHMR-AP presents an ambitious set of actions that, if implemented appropriately, could present a radical departure from existing policy in some areas. It sets a strong precedent for future US military action – and, importantly, an example for allies to follow.

Read the DoD factsheet here and the full action plan here.

Why is the CHMR-AP so important?

While the action plan itself is focused on reviewing and reforming the US’ policies on civilian harm mitigation and tracking, it should also have significant implications for the partners that support the US in modern conflicts, such as the UK, France, Netherlands, Belgium, and others. As it stands, US allies have been shown to have limited oversight, transparency, or accountability for civilian harm from their own actions. The UK, for instance, admits to only a single civilian casualty from its 8 years of support to the anti-ISIS coalition in Iraq and Syria, in which the UK has been second only to the US in the number of munitions dropped in some battlefields. Airwars’ estimates of civilians killed by this coalition could be well over 8,000.

Over the last few years, Airwars and our civil society partners have advocated with several of these states to review and improve national approaches and policies to civilian harm mitigation; yet, while some states have taken on such reviews, none have been as far-reaching or ambitious as the CHMR-AP.

Beyond these national processes to improve approaches to civilian harm mitigation, the CHMR-AP also comes out in the context of a new international agreement on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, due to be signed by the US and key allies in October this year. The CHMR-AP’s introduction of the term ‘civilian environment’ presents a broad understanding of civilian harm – with reference to the need to understand population density, urban systems and the ‘the interconnected relationships between the civilian population, natural resources, infrastructure, and essential services’. This is an important move towards acknowledging the long-term consequences of military action on civilians caught in conflict.

What does this mean for civilians harmed by the US in past actions?

Perhaps the biggest gap in the CHMR-AP is that it includes no reference to reviewing past cases of alleged civilian harm; including addressing the 37 cases that are still open pending assessment for civilian harm claims made against the US-led Coalition in the war against ISIS.

According to Airwars’ archive, the likely death toll resulting from the actions of the US-led Coalition’s actions in the war against ISIS alone could be at least 8,192 and as many as 13,247 civilians. The US has conceded causing overall at least 1,417 civilian fatalities – but has rejected 2,674 harm claims. These rejected cases could account for thousands of casualties.

Total estimates for the last twenty years of US actions reach as many as 48,308 civilian deaths – with over 90,000 declared strikes across seven major conflict zones throughout the so-called ‘forever wars’.

Key questions therefore remain unanswered: will the remaining open cases be reviewed? Will they be reviewed with this new policy in mind? How might the new policy change the outcome of those investigations? And if these open cases are reviewed in line with new policies – what does that mean for the cases that have previously been rejected as ‘non-credible’ under a system that has now been widely acknowledged to have been in need of reform?

Looking back at past cases has significant implications for commitments to amends processes – a section outlined as an objective in the CHMR-AP, although with no mention of how the new action plan would affect outstanding claims or clear detail on implementation of future processes.

What should we be looking out for now?

The implementation of the CHMR-AP will be key. While the action plan outlines a comprehensive set of actions and resource plans, it is yet to be determined the extent to which the policy will be implemented effectively and with continued consultation with independent voices. This is particularly important as US actions are on-going across the globe – Airwars has recorded an uptick in strikes in Somalia since Biden announced his decision to redeploy troops in May this year, while a new set of strikes were announced in Syria on Iran-backed militants just as the CHMR-AP was released.

Additionally, as noted by Human Rights Watch Washington Director Sarah Yager in a comment to CNN, the staffing and resources required must be arranged as soon as possible in order to ensure that “the principles and values behind doing this are deeply embedded in the Pentagon”, before any significant leadership change in the US administration, which could delay or even derail current plans for improvements.

Allies of the US should also take notice – and take action. Particularly with key sections of the CHMR-AP including reference to the application of the new action plan to multinational operations, US allies will have to review their own practices.

Several crucial points in the action plan are also still lacking clarity, and it will likely be some time before the full extent of the policy has been reviewed in its entirety by experts. Airwars is coordinating closely with our civil society partners in the US to ensure a comprehensive and thorough review of the proposed action plan, in order to ensure appropriate oversight and support from civil society as the action plan enters into the next phase of implementation.

 

▲ Ruins of a family home in which 35 civilians died at Mosul on June 13th 2017 - in what is now known to have been US and Australian airstrikes (Image courtesy of the Al Saffar family. All rights reserved.)

CENTCOM for August 24, 2022 – August 25, 2022
Original
Annotated

Report Date

August 25, 2022

Aug. 25, 2022

Release Number 20220825-04

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TAMPA, Fla. – Over the past 24 hours, in response to yesterday’s rocket attacks on Mission Support Site Conoco and Mission Support Site Green Village in northeast Syria, CENTCOM forces struck at Iran-affiliated militants in the area with AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, AC-130 gunships, and M777 artillery, resulting in four enemy fighters killed and seven enemy rocket launchers destroyed.

“We will respond appropriately and proportionally to attacks on our servicemembers,” said Michael “Erik” Kurilla, commander of US Central Command. “No group will strike at our troops with impunity. We will take all necessary measures to defend our people.”

CENTCOM for August 23, 2022 – August 23, 2022
Original
Annotated

Report Date

August 23, 2022

Statement Regarding Precision Strikes in Syria
USCENTCOM
Attributable to Colonel Joe Buccino, USCENTCOM Communication Director:

TAMPA, Fla. – “At President Biden’s direction, U.S. military forces conducted precision airstrikes in Deir ez-Zor Syria today. These precision strikes are intended to defend and protect U.S. forces from attacks like the ones on August 15 against U.S. personnel by Iran-backed groups. The U.S. strikes targeted infrastructure facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

“Today’s strikes were necessary to protect and defend U.S. personnel. The United States took proportionate, deliberate action intended to limit the risk of escalation and minimize the risk of casualties.

“The President gave the direction for these strikes pursuant to his Article II authority to protect and defend U.S. personnel by disrupting or deterring attacks by Iran-backed groups.

“The United States does not seek conflict, but will continue to take necessary measures to protect and defend our people.

“U.S. forces remain in Syria to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS.”

Incident date

August 14, 2022

Incident Code

USSOM350

LOCATION

Beledweyne, Hiiraan, Somalia

On August 14th 2022 there were reports that a US airstrike killed 13 to 14 members of Al Shabaab in the town of Beledweyne, in Hiran region of central Somalia, as reported by a state-owned national television.  US AFRICOM confirmed this strike on August 17th in a statement which said that “US forces engage insurgents

Summary

First published
August 14, 2022
Last updated
October 27, 2022
Strike status
Declared strike
Strike type
Airstrike
Civilian harm reported
No
Civilians reported killed
Unknown
Cause of injury / death
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Known belligerent
US Forces
Known target
Al-Shabaab
Geolocation
City
Belligerents reported killed
13–14
View Incident

AFRICOM for August 14, 2022 – August 14, 2022
Original
Annotated

Report Date

August 14, 2022

In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted an airstrike against al-Shabaab terrorists that were actively attacking Somali National Army forces in a remote location near Teedaan, Somalia, on Aug. 14.

The command’s initial assessment is that the strikes killed 13 al-Shabaab terrorists and that no civilians were injured or killed. U.S. forces are authorized to conduct strikes in defense of designated partner forces.

The Federal Government of Somalia and U.S. Africa Command take great measures to prevent civilian casualties. These efforts contrast with the indiscriminate attacks that al-Shabaab regularly conducts against the civilian population.

The Federal Government of Somalia and the U.S. remain committed to fighting al-Shabaab to prevent the deaths of innocent civilians.

Violent extremist organizations like al-Shabaab present long-term threats to Somali, regional and U.S. interests.

Incident date

August 9, 2022

Incident Code

USSOM349

LOCATION

near Beledweyne, Hiiraan, Somalia

Four Al-Shabaab members were killed by three declared US airstrikes near Beledweyne on August 9, 2022. Somalia state media was the first to report on August 9th that “at the request of Somali Government, #US launched a strike in support of Somali National Army forces conducting counterterrorism operations in #Hiran region. There were no civilians

Summary

First published
August 9, 2022
Last updated
October 27, 2022
Strike status
Declared strike
Strike type
Airstrike, Drone Strike
Civilian harm reported
No
Civilians reported killed
Unknown
Known belligerent
US Forces
Geolocation
City
Belligerents reported killed
4
View Incident