In January 2026, The Guardian reported on the verdict in a Freedom of Information tribunal brought by Airwars against the UK Ministry of Defence. Airwars had sought details about the UK government’s civilian harm processes, in particular in relation to the sole time the UK accepted killing a civilian in ten years of bombing the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Airwars’ request sought all documents assessing civilian harm in that incident. While the tribunal ultimately ruled in favour of the MoD, the judges agreed with many of the arguments put forward by Airwars. In particular, the judgement found that the UK’s “absence of any published [civilian harm] procedure at all has the potential to undermine public confidence as to its integrity and comprehensiveness.”

For more information on the tribunal, read Airwars’ in-depth write up: How does the UK determine if it killed a civilian? Five takeaways from Airwars’ tribunal against the MoD