Research

All major publications from Airwars’ documentation, research, investigations and policy teams

793 posts
29 Jun, 2026
Collection

Your support matters

Welcome to our incredible community of supporters! Many of you have backed Airwars for years as funders, as advisers and as allies. Others have just arrived. All of you are making a vital contribution. Here we gather updates on progress to show why your choice to support civilians in conflict matters. Particularly now. Please invite […]
24 Jun, 2026
Update

Project Launch: From Conflict and Chaos to Justice and Understanding

Airwars receives Swedish Postcode Lottery Funding to enhance access to reliable and comparable information on the civilian impact of war.
19 Jun, 2026
Research, Update
Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestinian territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates

The human cost of the 40-day Iran war

With U.S. and Iran 'peace deal' hanging in the balance, Airwars releases findings on 1,000 incidents of harm tracked across 14 countries
18 Jun, 2026
Methodology

Tracking and researching attacks at sea in the US, Israel, Iran war 2026

How open source techniques can track, record and verify civilians killed at sea
15 Jun, 2026
Methodology, Research
Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, United Arab Emirates

Methodology note: Documenting civilian harm in the 2026 Iran, Israel, and US War

How Airwars tracked harm in 14 countries during the 40-day Iran War
29 May, 2026
Policy, Update

New analysis reveals extent of US erosion of civilian protection commitments in 2025

New analysis released by Airwars’ project the Civilian Protection Monitor details the extent of the US walk-back on its commitments to protect civilians in war, while showing major improvements in policy and practice in the Netherlands. The United Kingdom has maintained its status as ‘Uncommitted’ to mitigating harm to civilians from its own military operations, […]
15 May, 2026
Policy

The Netherlands Sets New Path for Investigating Evidence of Civilian Harm in Modern Conflict

At a time of growing impunity for civilian harm in warfare, the Dutch Ministry of Defense has taken important steps in the right direction
14 May, 2026
Investigations, Research
Caribbean Sea, Maritime (unknown), Pacific Ocean, Venezuela

Major investigation names 20 victims of US strikes on alleged drug boats

Airwars part of Latin American consortium piecing together victims of 'narco terrorist' killings
30 Apr, 2026
Policy

The UK Ministry of Defence admits it lacks tools to track and investigate civilian harm

A Ministry of Defence (MoD) review of the UK’s civilian harm framework has recommended new procedures to track and investigate harm to civilians in UK operations, strengthened use of open-source intelligence and re-instating mechanisms for making amends where civilians suffer death, injury or damage to property. The review reveals that adequate systems to track, investigate […]
27 Mar, 2026
Policy, Research
Iran

Civilian Harm in Iran after One Month of War

A new joint report by Human Rights Activists in Iran, CIVIC, and Airwars outlines the scale and intensity of the U.S. and Israel's first month of strikes on Iran
26 Mar, 2026
Visualisation

More than 40% of U.S.-Mexico border has been handed over to the military

Interactive map supports War Horse investigation into the Trump administration's policies along the southern border
10 Mar, 2026
Investigations
Iraq, Syria

The first civilian confirmed killed in an AI-assisted strike?

U.S. military told Airwars/Independent investigation it has 'no way of knowing' whether deadly strike relied on AI, causing alarm amid AI-assisted Iran attacks
6 Mar, 2026
Investigations, Research
Iran, Israel

Record pace of strikes in Iran bombing campaign: analysis

U.S. and Israel hitting more targets than any previous campaign, numbers suggest
17 Feb, 2026
Investigations
Caribbean Sea, Maritime (unknown)

How flight tracking data explains failed maritime rescue efforts

How 'Twitter randos' at Airwars and The Intercept disproved claims of "immediate" response
28 Jan, 2026
Research

Methodology note: Documenting civilian infrastructure in U.S. strikes on Venezuela

On January 3, 2026, the U.S. military conducted an operation to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, termed Operation Absolute Resolve. In response, Airwars researched and assessed all claims of civilian casualties and all claims of civilian infrastructure damage or destruction from the wave of airstrikes that day. This methodology note contains details on our approach […]
19 Jan, 2026
Investigations, Policy
Iraq, Syria

How does the UK determine if it killed a civilian? Five takeaways from Airwars’ tribunal against the MoD

Landmark tribunal found UK's lack of published civilian harm policies may "undermine public confidence" in the system
24 Dec, 2025
Report

Annual report – 2024/5

Airwars' annual report for 2024-5 including key developments, findings and work from the research, investigations and policy departments and a foreword by Director Emily Tripp.
10 Dec, 2025
Investigations
Israel, Palestinian territories

Surviving the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

Short film visualising the militarisation of humanitarian aid to reveal its deadly implications for the future
21 Nov, 2025
Policy

Toolkit launch: Operationalising the declaration on civilian harm from explosive weapons in populated areas

Airwars and Article 36 launch new practical implementation resource for the EWIPA declaration.
11 Nov, 2025
Policy, Report

Civilian harm mitigation in large-scale combat operations: lessons for UK defence

Writing for Ceasefire, Airwars' Policy Specialist lays out noticeable gaps in the UK approach to tracking, mitigating, and responding to civilian harm
7 Nov, 2025
Investigations
Ukraine

Sanctions, Scams & Deepfakes – The digital hunt for the Russians smuggling EU cars

Searching for smugglers, the investigation instead uncovered how new technologies may be supercharging the virtual front of the war in Europe's east
3 Nov, 2025
Research
Caribbean Sea, Pacific Ocean

Methodology note: U.S. military in Latin America and the Caribbean

In September 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump launched a campaign of military strikes on supposed “narco-terrorists” in small boats, initially in the Caribbean Sea and later in the Pacific. Accusing those on the boats of smuggling drugs bound for the United States, the campaign marked a significant shift in U.S. policy – with the United […]
24 Oct, 2025
Policy
Iraq, Syria

Civilian harm in the campaign against ISIS: An updated transparency audit

Airwars' policy volunteer Jessica Garlasco reviews current transparency mechanisms in major militaries
30 Sep, 2025
Collection
Somalia, Yemen

Trump under scrutiny

Collection page gathering crucial resources on military actions during the Trump second term, and the impact on civilians
http://syria.mil.ru/photo/gallery.htm?id=27368@cmsPhotoGallery
20 Aug, 2025
Research, Update
Syria

Airwars publishes final of 5,000 civilian harm incidents from Russian actions in Syria

Nine-year project involved tracking of thousands of strikes, and the deaths of up to 25,000 civilians
14 Aug, 2025
Policy

In preparing for large-scale conflicts, states neglect lessons on civilian protection at their peril

Airwars' Policy Specialist and colleagues at the Civilian Protection Monitor set out the continued need for civilian protection in large-scale wars
6 Aug, 2025
Policy

The Netherlands expands its civilian harm mitigation and response mechanisms

Writing on the Civilian Protection Monitor, Airwars' policy specialist analyses new developments in the Netherlands
18 Jun, 2025
Investigations, Policy
Yemen

The U.S. killed almost as many civilians in 52 days as the previous 23 years of U.S. action in Yemen

How does Trump’s eight-week bombing campaign compare to the history of U.S. military action in Yemen?
18 Jun, 2025
Research
Yemen

Methodology Note: US Forces in Yemen

Explaining how Airwars documents all incidents of alleged civilian harm from U.S. strikes in Yemen
10 Jun, 2025
Tools

Open Source Munitions Portal

A tool for researchers, journalists and practitioners trying to learn more about munitions and their use and impact in conflicts.