Airwars monthly assessment: March 2018
More than 1,200 civilians were alleged killed by Russian actions in Syria during March – setting a grim new record
Airwars monthly assessment: February 2018
Significant civilian casualties continued from reported Russian strikes in Syria’s eastern Ghouta; and from Turkish actions in Afrin
Airwars monthly assessment: January 2018
Turkish and Russian military actions in Syria led to significant civilian casualties – while claims against the Coalition remained at a low level
Airwars annual assessment 2017: civilians paid a high price for major Coalition gains
Civilian deaths from Coalition actions were up by more than 200% in 2017, as the war against ISIS pushed deep into cities
International airstrikes and civilian casualty claims in Iraq and Syria – November 2017
With ISIS mostly defeated, Airwars tracked a major fall in reported Coalition civilian casualties in November. Russia remains a problem.
International airstrikes and civilian casualty claims in Iraq and Syria – October 2017
Civilians paid a heavy price in the final days of battle for Raqqa – with thousands of Coalition munitions raining down on the city.
Renewed Netherlands mission against ISIS risks the lowest levels of public transparency and accountability among allies in a very different war
Airwars was invited to address a committee of Dutch MPs at The Hague on November 29th, to discuss issues relating to the expected resumption of Netherlands airstrikes against ISIS from January 1st 2018. Our short report made clear that the war has become far more destructive in recent months; that civilian harm had worsened; and
International airstrikes and civilian casualty claims in Iraq and Syria – September 2017
As strikes targeting ISIS in Iraq wind down, an air-backed race against Islamic State in Syria has put civilians in extreme danger.
International airstrikes and civilian casualty claims in Iraq and Syria – August 2017
Despite a significant fall in reported Coalition casualty events in Iraq, the fierce battle for control of Raqqa meant August was the third deadliest month for non-combatants.
International airstrikes and civilian casualty claims in Iraq and Syria: July 2017
Coalition munition use – and civilian deaths – each drop by one third at Raqqa, as SDF campaign to capture city slows
International airstrikes and civilian casualty claims in Iraq and Syria: June 2017
Almost five times more Coalition than Russian civilian casualty allegations were tracked by Airwars during June
International airstrikes and civilian casualty claims in Iraq and Syria: May 2017
Hundreds of civilians are now being killed monthly in Coalition airstrikes in both Iraq and Syria, credible reports indicate
International airstrikes and civilian casualty claims in Iraq and Syria: April 2017
Civilians are at increased risk of harm from US airstrikes under President Trump, months of data indicate
International airstrikes and civilian casualty claims in Iraq and Syria: March 2017
More civilians were likely killed by the Coalition in March than any other month of the war against ISIL – with a record number of bombs and missiles also released
International airstrikes and civilian casualty claims in Iraq and Syria: February 2017
Alleged Coalition civilian casualty events continue at record levels – again outpacing Russia’s reported actions in Syria
International airstrikes and civilian casualty claims in Iraq and Syria: January 2017
January 2017 saw highest-ever reported civilian fatalities from Coalition airstrikes – outdoing Russia’s actions in Syria
Analysis: Coalition civilian casualty reports Jan-Feb 2017
Recent improvements in civilian casualty reporting remain in place, despite transition from Obama to Trump
Annual assessment 2016: Civilians paid heavy price in Coalition and Russian airstrikes
Likely non-combatant deaths from Coalition actions in Iraq and Syria rose by 70 percent compared to 2015. And thousands of civilians died in likely Russian airstrikes throughout 2016.
International airstrikes and civilian casualty claims in Iraq and Syria: November 2016
Record numbers of civilian fatalities were reported in November 2016 from both Coalition and Russian airstrikes
Limited Accountability: A transparency audit of the Coalition air war against so-called Islamic State
A detailed assessment of transparency and accountability issues among the 13-member alliance. The audit – commissioned by UK defence think tank the Remote Control Project – worked with four sample militaries (the US, UK, Canada and Denmark) to build a detailed understanding of how militaries track and assess civilian casualty assessments. It also gauges transparency
International airstrikes and civilian casualty claims in Iraq and Syria: October 2016
Significant rise in civilian casualties reported from Coalition, Russian and Turkish airstrikes in Iraq and Syria for October 2016.
International airstrikes and civilian casualty claims in Iraq and Syria: September 2016
Alleged Russian civilian casualty events were back to levels last seen in January, as Coalition geared for Mosul assault
Reported civilian casualties from Russian airstrikes in Syria: January 2016
Between January 1st and 31st 2016, a total of 177 reported civilian casualty incidents in Syria allegedly involving Russian aircraft have been tracked by our researchers. These allege between them an overall total of between 1,006 and 1,410 non-combatant deaths. Each event is individually recorded in our new 50,000-word public database for January 2016. Claims
International airstrikes and civilian casualty claims in Iraq and Syria: August 2016
August saw the second anniversary of the war against so-called Islamic State, with the terrorist group losing significant ground on multiple fronts. The Coalition campaign to liberate Manbij in Aleppo concluded with Daesh being driven out of the northern Syrian town. This led to a steep drop in Coalition airstrikes and reported civilian casualty events,
International airstrikes and civilian casualty claims in Iraq and Syria: July 2016
In July the Coalition campaign to liberate the northern Syrian town of Manbij in Aleppo built towards a fierce conclusion. Daesh continued to lose ground, but the effect on civilian casualties was significant. We tracked the greatest number of alleged deaths and incidents in any given month since the war began two years ago –
International airstrikes and civilian casualty claims in Iraq and Syria: June 2016
Daesh lost significant ground in June, with the liberation of Fallujah in Iraq and the ongoing battle for Manbij in Syria. However, this led to a steep rise in alleged civilian casualties involving the Coalition in both countries – while in Syria, we saw a quadrupling of the number of civilian casualty events reportedly involving
International airstrikes and civilian casualties in Iraq and Syria: December 2015 to May 2016
Airwars monthly reports on international airstrikes and alleged civilian casualties across both Iraq and Syria will resume for June . Here we present our summary findings for December 2015 to May 2016. Major Coalition military developments From December 1st 2015 to the end of May 2016, there were 4,087 reported Coalition airstrikes against Daesh: a
Improving Belgian transparency and public accountability in the war against Daesh
As Brussels debated whether to extend airstrikes to Syria, we submitted a short report to parliament urging improved public transparency. The report concluded that “The act of waging war rightly places onerous responsibilities upon all combatants. It is surely right not only that nations are held accountable for their military actions – but that they
A Reckless Disregard for Civilian Lives: Russian airstrikes in Syria
Our analysis of Russian airstrikes in Syria between September 30th and December 31st 2015 found that despite Moscow’s continuing assertions that no civilians have been killed in its ongoing Syrian air war, there were credible indications from open source reporting that to December 31st 2015 only, between 1,098 and 1,450 non-combatants had likely died in
Netherlands airstrikes in Syria: Towards improved transparency and public accountability
Our report submitted to the Dutch Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee argued that despite being an advanced democracy with membership both of the European Union and NATO, The Netherlands had also been one of the least transparent partners in the US-led Coalition against ISIS – a situation which has further deteriorated over time. “It is an