
“This is not a small mistake”

Mapping urban warfare
These maps are the first in a series of visualisations Airwars is presenting ahead of a new political declaration that calls on states to better protect civilians from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. By matching neighbourhood population density – which also usually coincides with high levels of civilian infrastructure – with Airwars’

Civilian Deaths by US President in Iraq and Syria
The United States and its 13 kinetic allies – part of an international alliance usually known as the Coalition – began an extensive air and artillery campaign against so-called Islamic State in August 2014, after the terror group had occupied large parts of of Iraq and Syria. By the end of President Trump’s term in

UK airstrikes that harmed militants in Iraq and Syria 2014–2021

Coalition air-released munitions in Iraq and Syria 2014-2020
The graph models official data from Air Force Central Command (AFCENT) which reflects air-released munitions by the international allies during the war against so-called Islamic State. It does not include artillery or rocket strikes. In March 2020, AFCENT signalled an end to the release of this data.

Declared strikes by US President in Iraq and Syria
The United States and its 13 kinetic allies – part of an international alliance usually known as the Coalition – began an extensive campaign against so-called Islamic State in August 2014, after the terror group had occupied large parts of of Iraq and Syria. By the end of President Trump’s term in office in 2021,

Declared US-led Coalition air and artillery strikes in Iraq and Syria
The term strike refers both to air and artillery actions. Please note that according to the US-led Coalition against ISIS, a single strike might at times involve multiple aircraft, munitions released and locations.

Reported civilian deaths from US-led Coalition strikes in Iraq and Syria
Due to large variations in the quality of reporting, Airwars provisionally grades allegations of civilian harm using a standardised methodology across all belligerents and conflicts. The five categories are explained in full on our Methodology page. Individual events are recorded in the Civilian Casualties pages.

The Credibles
Following more than three years of extensive engagement with US military officials, Airwars has secured the precise locations of all but four of the 344 publicly confirmed (‘Credible’) Coalition civilian harm events in the war against ISIS in both Iraq and Syria, which between them represent the great majority of at least 1,410 conceded civilian deaths according to CJTFOIR

US-led Coalition air strikes on ISIS in Iraq & Syria, 2014-2018
Between August 8th 2014 and December 16th 2018, the US-led Coalition declared the dates and nearest large population centres for 30,801 air and artillery strikes in Iraq and Syria against so-called Islamic State. Airwars has tracked and mapped every known strike. Despite hundreds more later actions, the Coalition stopped publicly reporting where or when it was bombing.

US-led Coalition in Iraq and Syria Casualty Map
Following the capture of much of northern Iraq and eastern Syria by so-called Islamic State – and atrocities committed by the terror group against local populations – an international Coalition led by the United States began military actions against ISIS in August 2014, in partnership with local forces. An intense air and ground campaign over