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

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7 Jul, 2020
Policy
Iraq

Dutch defence minister announces fresh transparency moves

The Dutch Minister of Defence, Ank Bijleveld, has reported to Parliament on the latest progress made by the Government in improving transparency regarding civilian harm as a result of Dutch military actions. Coupled with other steps taken in the months after the Hawijah scandal, the Netherlands appears slowly to be shedding its reputation as one […]
26 May, 2020
Update
Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria

Marking UN Protection of Civilians Week, Airwars and Rectangle livecast names of thousands harmed in recent wars

Airwars and design partners Rectangle are commemorating those civilians killed and injured in conflicts, by livestreaming over 24 hours the names of 8,337 civilian casualties the international monitor has documented in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Somalia in recent years. The digital event marks the occasion of the UN’s 2020 Protection of Civilians Week. Every name […]
7 May, 2020
Policy
Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen

Pentagon concedes 211 more civilian deaths across four war zones in latest report to Congress

The Department of Defense (DoD) informed Congress on May 6th that US forces in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Somalia had between them killed at least 132 civilians and injured 91 more during 2019. The Pentagon also reported a further 79 historical deaths from its actions in Syria and Iraq during 2017-18. The 22-page Annual Report […]
23 Mar, 2020
Policy, Update
Iraq, Syria

Newly released documents reveal Dutch knew about possible high risk to civilians at Hawijah

Newly declassified documents released by the Dutch Ministries of Defence and Foreign Affairs, and the Netherlands Public Prosecutor’s Office, have revealed a number of disturbing facts about Dutch airstrikes on Hawijah and Mosul in 2015 which killed dozens of civilians. The previously secret documents show, for example, that the Dutch military official with a potential […]
A March 2017 airstrike during the battle for Mosul against Islamic State. While the US-led Coalition has admitted almost 1,400 civilian deaths during the war, European allies have remained almost silent about their own responsibility. (Via Reuters/ Alaa Al-Marjani)
15 Mar, 2020
Investigations, Policy
Iraq, Syria

Europe’s shame: Claims by key allies of no civilian harm in war against ISIS exposed

Key European allies are denying dozens of civilian deaths from their own actions - even where the US-led Coalition finds such cases to be credible.
11 Feb, 2020
Policy
Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Türkiye, Yemen

Airwars annual report: over 2,200 civilians claimed killed in 2019

Airwars research shows that at least 2,214 civilians were locally alleged killed by international military actions across Syria, Iraq, Libya, and Somalia during 2019 – a 42% decrease in minimum claimed deaths on the previous year. This sharp fall was largely because deaths from reported US-led Coalition actions plummeted following the territorial defeat of ISIS […]
6 Feb, 2020
Policy
Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria

Dutch F-16 pilots break their silence on airstrikes and civilian harm

  “After a few months, it turned out that it had indeed been a wrong target. An error had been made in the intelligence process. Instead of being an ISIS target, it turned out to just be a house. A mix-up in targets. You think: shit, it’s not possible, is it? I felt sick when […]
19 Dec, 2019
Update
Iraq, Syria

Dutch defence ministry publishes incorrect statement on civilian deaths, hours before key parliamentary debate

The Netherlands Ministry of Defence (Defensie) has provided an inaccurate statement to both MPs and the media, Airwars analysis indicates – on the eve of a critical parliamentary debate on the deaths of scores of civilians in Iraq which had resulted from a Dutch airstrike in 2015. Credible reports at the time had indicated that […]
29 Nov, 2019
Policy
Iraq

Dutch Ministry of Defence promises significant transparency changes

The Dutch government is promising to introduce transparency improvements for conflict-related civilian harm resulting from its military actions. The announcement came on November 25th, in the wake of an ongoing national scandal, following the withholding for more than four years of details of Dutch involvement in an airstrike on Hawijah, Iraq, on the night of […]
22 Oct, 2019
Update
Iraq

Investigation accuses Dutch military of involvement in 2015 Iraq airstrike which led to deaths of 70 civilians

On Friday October 18th, Dutch news organisations NRC and NOS published a story in which they accused the Dutch military of being responsible for a 2015 airstrike on an ISIS weapon storage facility in the city of Hawijah, Iraq, that led to the deaths of at least 70 civilians. The Dutch Ministry of Defence has […]
7 Aug, 2019
Update
Iraq, Syria

Five years of war and ISIS is defeated as a territorial entity – but civilian deaths remain largely uncounted

The fifth anniversary of the international war against so-called Islamic State has seen the total defeat of the terrorist group as a territorial entity in both Iraq and Syria. Now degraded to insurgency, the US and its allies try to contain the jihadist organisation. However, after five years of fighting the cost to civilians on […]
16 Jul, 2019
Update
Iraq, Syria

New Airwars study finds major challenges in US media coverage of civilian harm

Despite a significant majority of almost 100 surveyed journalists believing that the reporting of civilian casualties remains critical to broader war coverage, major US news organisations have too often failed properly to report on the issue during the five year conflict against so-called Islamic State. That’s the key finding of a major new Airwars study […]
1 May, 2019
Update
Iraq, Syria

France’s war without accountability

On May 16th 2017, Sajid Ahmed Sajid and his brother Amer Ahmad Sajid, two men in their fifties and each with a salt and pepper beard, were killed by a bomb that struck their house in the well-to-do neighbourhood of Al-Najjar in West Mosul, according to locals and local media. The Coalition’s public account of […]
25 Apr, 2019
Update
Iraq, Syria

At least 1,600 civilians died in US-led Coalition actions at Raqqa, major new study finds

A major new study by Amnesty International and Airwars has concluded that at least 1,600 civilians died in Coalition strikes on the city of Raqqa in 2017 during the battle to evict so-called Islamic State – ten times the number of fatalities so far conceded by the US-led alliance, which had admitted 159 deaths to […]
10 Apr, 2019
Update
Iraq, Libya, Syria

Airwars expands monitoring to include secretive US campaigns in Somalia, Yemen and Pakistan

Airwars has announced that in partnership with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, it will also now be monitoring airstrikes and reported civilian harm from secretive US campaigns in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia, in addition to its current portfolio of major conflicts. The US counter terrorism campaigns – conducted by the CIA and US Special Forces […]
5 Feb, 2019
Update
Iraq, Syria

New Airwars project to examine US media coverage of civilian harm in war against ISIS

Hundreds of journalists will be canvassed for their views on recent conflict casualty reporting by the US media as part of a major new project by Airwars. The six month study—funded by the Reva and David Logan Foundation in the US, and the J Leon Philanthropy Council in the UK—aims to help assess and improve […]
10 Jan, 2019
Update
Iraq, Syria

Time for proper accountability now that Dutch aircraft and military personnel are home

On December 31st 2018, the participation of Netherlands F-16s in the international fight against so-called Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria came to an agreed end, after almost four years of airstrikes. Despite conducting precision airstrikes, the Coalition has not always been successful in preventing civilian casualties – with the alliance overall admitting at […]
24 Sep, 2018
Update
Iraq, Syria

Report: Airwars urges UK to improve accountability for civilian harm in Battles of Mosul and Raqqa

Despite being the most transparent among anti-ISIS Coalition members, non-admission of urban civilian casualties by UK is deemed unrealistic in new parliamentary report.
20 Sep, 2018
Policy, Report
Iraq, Syria

Credibility Gap – UK civilian harm assessments for the battles of Mosul and Raqqa

As part of its Inquiry into British military actions at Mosul and Raqqa, the UK Parliament’s Defence Select Committee issued a request for submissions from interested parties. Along with several other NGOs, Airwars submitted a detailed report looking into UK actions in the war against so-called Islamic State, and the broader issue of civilian harm. […]
8 Aug, 2018
Update
Iraq, Syria

Four years of war and ISIS is almost defeated – but at what cost?

The fourth anniversary of the international war against ISIS sees the terror group almost defeated - though many thousands of civilians have died in the heavy fighting.
5 Jul, 2018
Update
Iraq, Syria

‘That’s just how we do it.’ Minister upholds court’s decision not to identify Dutch civilian harm events

Despite cross party calls for greater disclosure, the Defence Minister confirmed that no further details of four events will be released.
29 Jun, 2018
Update
Iraq, Syria

After more than a year of denials, Coalition admits killing 40 civilians in controversial strike

While credible reports of large numbers of civilians killed at al Mansoura emerged within hours, it has taken the Coalition 16 months to concede any harm.
5 Jun, 2018
Update
Iraq, Syria

Amnesty says US-led Coalition likely violated international law at Raqqa

Investigators traveled to Raqqa and spoke with more than 100 witnesses and victims, with their report highlighting the deaths of dozens of members of just four families.
30 May, 2018
Update
Iraq, Syria

‘A city full of flies’: The crews digging out bodies in Raqqa

The Raqqa Reconstruction Committee is still recovering the dead from this shattered city - all the time at risk from unexploded ISIS munitions.
3 May, 2018
Update
Iraq, Syria

UK admits an anti-ISIS civilian casualty for the first time

After nearly four years of strikes the UK has finally admitted to a single civilian casualty
13 Apr, 2018
Update
Iraq, Syria

Netherlands admits civilian harm in Iraqi airstrikes – but won’t say where or when

Dutch military still refuses to say where or when civilians were killed or injured in Iraqi strikes - or how many casualties.
5 Apr, 2018
Update
Iraq, Syria

Counting the dead in Mosul

Thousands of civilians were killed during the battle for Mosul, but there is no official death toll.
29 Mar, 2018
Update
Iraq, Syria

Australia admits killing two civilians during battle for Mosul

Australia remains the only American ally to admit any civilian harm after almost four years of strikes
15 Mar, 2018
Update
Iraq, Syria

Resumed Dutch air campaign against ISIS sees transparency improvements

The Netherlands - often criticized for being the least transparent member of the US-led Coalition - has improved its public reporting since strikes renewed in January
12 Mar, 2018
Update
Iraq, Syria

Raqqa: a city destroyed then forgotten

Tens of thousands of US bombs and missiles helped drive Islamic State from Raqqa. But now the dead are being forgotten.