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

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21 Jun, 2015
Research

Coalition airstrikes and reported casualties in Iraq and Syria: June 12th-19th 2015

ABOVE: Residents of Tal Abyad region flee the fighting between Islamic State and YPG Kurds, June  2015 (SNN) Major Developments Coalition ends 45th week of bombings having carried out 4,673 airstrikes on Islamic State At least 6 and as many as 20 civilians were reported killed in a series of coalition airstrikes on June 13th, in support of […]
19 Jun, 2015
Update
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

Podcast: deaths of 38 Westerners in US drone strikes raises serious questions for US allies

Rammstein in Germany is a key hub for US drone operations, including those that killed German citizens (Flickr/US Army Corps of Engineers) US drones have killed at least 38 Westerners since 2002 – most from some of America’s closest allies, raising serious questions for those governments about how much they knew and how much they helped with […]
14 Jun, 2015
Update

Coalition airstrikes and casualties in Iraq and Syria: June 5th-June 12th 2015

ABOVE: Dutch MPs visit an Air Task Force facility, June 5 2015 (Dutch MoD) Major Developments New figures show coalition has now dropped more than 15,000 bombs and missiles on Iraq and Syria, in more than 4,500 airstrikes There were four new incidents reported in which it was claimed coalition aircraft may have caused civilian or […]
14 Jun, 2015
Research

Coalition airstrikes and casualties in Iraq and Syria: June 5th-June 12th 2015

ABOVE: Dutch MPs visit an Air Task Force facility, June 5 2015 (Dutch MoD) Major Developments New figures show coalition has now dropped more than 15,000 bombs and missiles on Iraq and Syria, in more than 4,500 airstrikes There were four new incidents reported in which it was claimed coalition aircraft may have caused civilian or […]
7 Jun, 2015
Update

Coalition airstrikes and casualties in Iraq and Syria: May 29th-June 5th 2015

ABOVE: Scene of devastation at the town of al Hawijah near Kirkuk, Iraq after a US airstrike destroyed a Daesh IED factory Major Developments In single greatest claim of coalition-inflicted civilian deaths since August, up to 70 non-combatants are reported killed in an airstrike on Iraqi town of al-Hawijah Coalition denies it has seen evidence […]
7 Jun, 2015
Research

Coalition airstrikes and casualties in Iraq and Syria: May 29th-June 5th 2015

ABOVE: Scene of devastation at the town of al Hawijah near Kirkuk, Iraq after a US airstrike destroyed a Daesh IED factory Major Developments In single greatest claim of coalition-inflicted civilian deaths since August, up to 70 non-combatants are reported killed in an airstrike on Iraqi town of al-Hawijah Coalition denies it has seen evidence […]
5 Jun, 2015
Update
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

Podcast: “Sudden Justice” author Chris Woods on CIA accountability and the politics of US drone wars

John Brennan, the Director of the CIA since March 2013 Transferring control of the US drone programme away from the CIA could paradoxically result in less accountability, author and investigative journalist Chris Woods told this week’s Drone News. Since President Barack Obama announced in April that a CIA drone strike on an al Qaeda compound in […]
2 Jun, 2015
Update
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

Monthly drone report, May 2015: US strikes kill at least 48 in three countries

A US helicopter ferrying military advisers over Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, where US aircraft killed at least 34 this month (USAF) EXECUTIVE SUMMARY i. Key points: A Pew Research Center poll finds strong support in the US for drone strikes Three US strikes kill at least 34 in Afghanistan The US continues to bomb Yemen in […]
1 Jun, 2015
Update

Military reports – June 2015

Monthly summary: Below are all known daily coalition military reports relating to the air war against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria for June 2015. We have also included relevant video and photo releases, as well as indicating where possible civilian or ‘friendly fire’ casualties may have occurred.   June 1st/2nd 2015 Iraq 10 strikes (2,642-2,651) Syria […]
30 May, 2015
Update

Coalition airstrikes and casualties in Iraq and Syria: May 22nd-29th 2015

ABOVE: Aftermath of a devastating explosion in Mosul May 21st 2015 which killed between 12-50 civilians according to reports (via Mosul Ateka) Major Developments Two new civilian casualty incidents are reported for the past week. The destruction of an ISIL arms dump in Mosul is said to kill 12-50 non-combatants. And in Syria, up to 10 female agricultural […]
30 May, 2015
Research

Coalition airstrikes and casualties in Iraq and Syria: May 22nd-29th 2015

ABOVE: Aftermath of a devastating explosion in Mosul May 21st 2015 which killed between 12-50 civilians according to reports (via Mosul Ateka) Major Developments Two new civilian casualty incidents are reported for the past week. The destruction of an ISIL arms dump in Mosul is said to kill 12-50 non-combatants. And in Syria, up to 10 female agricultural […]
28 May, 2015
Update

How Guardian investigated death of Iraqi family in likely coalition airstrike

Was lethal airstrike at Fadhiliya, Iraq aimed at Islamic State attacks in vicinity of nearby Canadian troops? Library image shows personnel departing for Iraq, November 2014 (Canadian MoD/ Cpl LS Eduardo Jorge) Nine months and 4,000 airstrikes into the international coalition’s air war against Islamic State, the US-led alliance has to date only conceded the “likely” non-combatant deaths of two […]
28 May, 2015
Update

How Guardian investigated death of Iraqi family in likely coalition airstrike

Was lethal airstrike at Fadhiliya, Iraq aimed at Islamic State attacks in vicinity of nearby Canadian troops? Library image shows personnel departing for Iraq, November 2014 (Canadian MoD/ Cpl LS Eduardo Jorge) Nine months and 4,000 airstrikes into the international coalition’s air war against Islamic State, the US-led alliance has to date only conceded the “likely” non-combatant deaths of two […]
22 May, 2015
Update

Coalition airstrikes and casualties in Iraq and Syria: May 15th-May 22nd 2015

Major developments After nine months of strikes the coalition finally admits its actions have killed civilians – confirming the “likely” death of at least two children in Syria A last-minute spate of Coalition airstrikes fails to prevent Islamic State from over-running the crucial city of Ramadi in Iraq The 4,000th airstrike since operations began in August […]
22 May, 2015
Research

Coalition airstrikes and casualties in Iraq and Syria: May 15th-May 22nd 2015

Major developments After nine months of strikes the coalition finally admits its actions have killed civilians – confirming the “likely” death of at least two children in Syria A last-minute spate of Coalition airstrikes fails to prevent Islamic State from over-running the crucial city of Ramadi in Iraq The 4,000th airstrike since operations began in August […]
21 May, 2015
Update

Six months after deadly Syrian air raid, US finally concedes it killed two children

After more than 4,000 airstrikes by the international alliance over a nine month period, the US-led coalition has finally conceded that its actions have killed civilians. According to a statement issued by CENTCOM late on May 21st, an airstrike on the village of Harem near Aleppo six months previously had “likely led to the deaths of two non-combatant children.” According […]
21 May, 2015
Update

Six months after deadly Syrian air raid, US finally concedes it killed two children

After more than 4,000 airstrikes by the international alliance over a nine month period, the US-led coalition has finally conceded that its actions have killed civilians. According to a statement issued by CENTCOM late on May 21st, an airstrike on the village of Harem near Aleppo six months previously had “likely led to the deaths of two non-combatant children.” According […]
13 May, 2015
Update

Why we’ve launched Airwars

In the first 40 weeks of US-led military action against so-called Islamic State (Daesh), more than 3,800 airstrikes were carried out by a dozen international coalition members across both Iraq and Syria. Those strikes saw around 13,000 bombs and missiles dropped in an aerial war likely to continue for many more months, if not years. Civilian non-combatants already faced great risk on the […]
13 May, 2015
Update

Why we’ve launched Airwars

In the first 40 weeks of US-led military action against so-called Islamic State (Daesh), more than 3,800 airstrikes were carried out by a dozen international coalition members across both Iraq and Syria. Those strikes saw around 13,000 bombs and missiles dropped in an aerial war likely to continue for many more months, if not years. Civilian non-combatants already faced great risk on the […]
12 May, 2015
Update

Reported civilian and ‘friendly fire’ deaths from Coalition airstrikes 2014

Listed are all known reports for 2014 – via generally credible sources unless otherwise indicated – of non-combatant and ‘friendly fire’ deaths allegedly caused by the Coalition. We include locations, dates and reported casualty numbers, as well as the names of victims where known. Also cross-referenced are any known US or allied airstrikes in the […]
7 May, 2015
Update
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

ANALYSIS Counting the cost of US drones: Local wars killing local people

The funeral of Akram Shah, a government employee, killed with at least four other locals, all civilians, in June 2011 (THIS KHAN/AFP/Getty Images) As the Bureau revealed recently, the accidental killing of American Warren Weinstein and Italian Giorgio Lo Porto by the CIA in January now means at least 38 Westerners have been killed by covert US […]
2 May, 2015
Update

Military reports – May 2015

Monthly summary: Below are all known daily coalition military reports relating to the air war against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria for May 2015. We have also included relevant video and photo releases, as well as indicating where possible civilian or ‘friendly fire’ casualties may have occurred.   May 1st/2nd 2015 Iraq 16 strikes […]
1 May, 2015
Update
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

Monthly Drone Report, April 2015: Western drone deaths reach 38

Spanish citizen Raquel Burgos Garcia died in a CIA drone strike in Pakistan in 2005. (AP Photo/Nicolas Asfouri) EXECUTIVE SUMMARY i. Key points: Drones have killed 38 Westerners since 2002 including two al Qaeda hostages killed in January. US air strikes continue in Afghanistan but the vacuum of information remains. Most drone strikes in Yemen in a […]
27 Apr, 2015
Update
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

Could German court halt White House’s ‘illegal’ drone war? An exclusive extract from Chris Woods’ new book Sudden Justice

The US Air Base in Ramstein, Germany, has played a key role in the CIA drone strikes that killed seven Germany citizens (Flickr/US Army) The debate over America’s use of drones to kill its own citizens has never been as intense. Last week in an unprecedented announcement, President Barack Obama admitted that CIA drones had […]
23 Apr, 2015
Update
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

Hostage deaths mean 38 Westerners killed by US drone strikes, Bureau investigation reveals

Al Qaeda’s US hostage, Warren Weinstein, killed in a US drone strike in January 2015. In an unprecedented announcement today President Barack Obama admitted that two al Qaeda hostages, an American and an Italian, were killed in a US drone strike in Pakistan in January. He also said two other US citizens were killed in a […]
15 Apr, 2015
Update
Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen

Podcast: Tell us the whole truth about your drone killing program, ACLU chief warns White House

The ACLU has been fighting the US government in courthouses in New York and Washington DC, above (Wikimedia Commons) The US government’s tactic of releasing details about its targeted killing programme in only a piecemeal way is “very dangerous”, the American Civil Liberties Union warns in this week’s Drone News. Jameel Jaffer, the ACLU’s deputy legal director, […]
3 Apr, 2015
Update

Iraq and Syria: Civilian and ‘friendly fire’ casualties from international military actions

Airwars maintains an extensive all-source database of known allegations in which civilians and friendly forces have been reported killed by the Coalition, Turkey or Russia in Iraq and Syria. Our individual case studies include photographs, videos, names of the dead, and links to all known sources. These reports represent our best current understanding of events […]
2 Apr, 2015
Update

Military reports – April 2015

Monthly summary: Below are all known daily coalition military reports relating to  the air war against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria for April 2015. We have also included relevant video and photo releases, as well as indicating where possible civilian or ‘friendly fire’ casualties may have occurred.   April 1st/2nd 2015 Iraq 4 strikes (1,774-1,777) Syria 3 […]
1 Apr, 2015
Update

Official Coalition military reports 2014-2018

You can see our complete archive of all known public military records of the Coalition’s air war against so-called Islamic State (Daesh) by clicking the links below. December 2018   November 2018 October 2018  September 2018  August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October […]
1 Apr, 2015
Update
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia

Monthly Drone Report, March 2015: US drone strikes drop 50% as chaos envelops Yemen

Saudi jets have began bombing Houthi targets across its southern border in Yemen EXECUTIVE SUMMARY i. Key points: US drone strike frequency halves from Q4 2014 to Q1 2015 Strikes appear to target the Pakistan Taliban in Afghanistan A single CIA strike kills three in Pakistan as Islamabad forces hammer the tribal areas Yemen sinks […]