US-led Coalition in Iraq & Syria

Civilians in the ruins of Mosul city. (Maranie R. Staab)

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 several years led to ISIS being driven out of almost all territory it had previously held – though this also resulted in significant destruction and loss of life. However ISIS continues to operate in both Iraq and Syria, leading to irregular Operation Inherent Resolve actions.

The kinetic element of Coalition presently comprises the US, the UK, France, and Belgium. Previous active belligerents include The Netherlands, Canada, Australia, Denmark, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Jordan; along with occasional Iraqi strikes in Syria. While the Coalition has described its campaign as ‘the most precise in history’, significant civilian casualties have been reported in both Iraq and Syria. Known civilian harm claims can be accessed either via our interactive mapping and timeline, or via the ‘Civilian Casualties in Iraq/ Syria’ tabs above.

9years11months7days
Length of Campaign
14,886
US-led Coalition Strikes in Iraq
19,904
US-led Coalition Strikes in Syria
2,984
Alleged civilian casualty incidents assessed

Airwars estimate of civilian deaths

8,220–13,299

Locally reported civilian deaths from declared or likely US-led Coalition actions in Iraq and Syria for which the reporting was assessed by Airwars as Fair, or have been Confirmed by the US-led Coalition. These originate from 1,536 separate alleged incidents.

1,727–2,369 children likely killed
1,122–1,462 women likely killed
5,899–9,128 likely injured
3,756 named victims

US-led Coalition estimate of civilian deaths

1,437

Confirmed civilian deaths, from US-led Coalition actions in Iraq and Syria, originating from 342 separate incidents of civilian harm.

351 civilians confirmed injured

Alleged deaths 19,188–29,786

Locally reported civilian deaths from US-led Coalition actions in Iraq and Syria.

2,984 separate alleged incidents

Confirmed or fair
Confirmed: A specific belligerent has accepted responsibility for civilian harm.
Fair: Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
8,220–13,299

Civilian deaths for which the reporting was assessed by Airwars as Fair, or have been Confirmed by the US-led Coalition.

1,536 separate alleged incidents

Weak
Weak: Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
2,391–2,815

Civilian deaths for which the reporting was assessed by Airwars as Weak.

434 separate alleged incidents

Contested
Contested: Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
7,874–12,580

Civilian deaths for which the reporting is assessed by Airwars as Contested.

779 separate alleged incidents

Discounted
Discounted: Those killed were combatants, or other parties most likely responsible.
698–1,087

Civilian deaths were Discounted by Airwars after assessment.

234 separate alleged incidents