Research

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

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776 posts
13 Jun, 2022
Investigations
Syria

A year on, Airwars investigation into Afrin hospital attack reveals crucial details

A horrifying attack on a hospital in the Syrian city of Afrin left 19 people dead – and the perpetrators are still unknown.
27 May, 2022
Policy
Iraq, Syria

Airwars joins ten civil society organisations to call for the UK to urgently address civilian harm policies

As the UN Secretary General’s annual Protection of Civilians report welcomes steps by the United States to develop new civilian harm mitigation and tracking mechanisms, a coalition of civil society organisations specialised in the subject call on the United Kingdom to follow suit. After devastating revelations published in The New York Times late last year […]
10 May, 2022
Update
Iraq, Israel, Libya, Pakistan, Palestinian territories, Syria, Türkiye, Yemen

Civilian harm fell in 2021, Airwars annual report finds

Civilian harm dropped across most of the major conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa in 2021, Airwars’ annual report has found. The number of allegations of civilians killed by nearly all belligerents monitored by Airwars fell in Syria, Iraq, Libya, Somalia and Yemen, though there was an escalation in the Israel-Palestinian conflict which […]
10 May, 2022
Report

Annual report – 2021/22

Civilian harm trends continued sharply downwards across all conflicts monitored by Airwars during 2021 – particularly after the Biden administration took office in January. However both Russian and Turkish campaigns in Syria – and Turkish actions in northern Iraq – continued at an occasionally aggressive rate. Ongoing concerns at US military accountability peaked with the […]
6 May, 2022
Update
Israel, Palestinian territories

Airwars/Guardian win Amnesty Media Award

Airwars and The Guardian have won a prestigious Amnesty Media Award for their joint investigation into Israel’s striking of residential towers in Gaza. The article, Countdown to the Airstrike, won in the Best Use of Digital Media category. The article tells the story of the destruction a single tower in Gaza through their memories of […]
4 May, 2022
Investigations, Policy
Ukraine

Counting the Dead in Ukraine

A longstanding mechanism for verifying casualties of the Ukraine conflict have been subsumed by the scale of carnage since Russia’s February invasion.
22 Apr, 2022
Policy
Iraq

After Hawija: Dutch Ministry of Defence maps route forward

The Dutch Ministry of Defence, Defensie, has finally outlined to Parliament the steps it expects to take in both the short and long term, to address civilian casualties from Dutch actions. Since late 2020, Airwars has been part of a consortium of civil society and academic organisations working with the Defensie to help improve the […]
12 Apr, 2022
Investigations
Ukraine

Anatomy of a Russian cluster munition strike

Airwars examined a single Russian cluster munition strike on a blood donation centre and hospital, which may have caused a 350 metre span of damage, in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv
8 Apr, 2022
Policy

As key Geneva meet ends, states edge towards explosive weapons deal

States edged closer to a political declaration on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas on April 8th, after three days of crunch talks in Geneva. More than 65 states descended on the Swiss city for key talks on the wording of a political declaration that advocates believe would save thousands of lives by […]
8 Apr, 2022
Update

Anatomy of an Russian Cluster Munition Strike in Ukraine
7 Apr, 2022
Investigations
Ukraine

Counting the casualties in Ukraine – an interview with the UN Monitoring Mission

Why is the UN figure for the number of civilians killed in Ukraine so much lower than other estimates? An interview with Uladzimir Shcherbau head of the UN civilian casualty monitoring unit in Ukraine
7 Apr, 2022
Policy
Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Palestinian territories, Somalia, Syria, Ukraine, Yemen

Five takeaways from the first day of EWIPA negotiations

The shadow of the Ukraine conflict loomed large over the first day of the informal UN-backed consultations on a political declaration on restricting the use of wide area effect explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA), currently underway in Geneva. Delegates from more than 65 nations have gathered to fine tune the language of the political […]
6 Apr, 2022
Policy

Scottish National Party official: UK, US should back explosive weapons limits

Stewart McDonald MP, the defence spokesperson for Scotland’s ruling Scottish National Party (SNP), called on Wednesday for the United States and United Kingdom to join those nations backing restrictions on the use of explosive weapons in urban environments during key talks in Geneva. On April 4th the SNP became the largest British party – and […]
5 Apr, 2022
Policy

At key Geneva meet, US and allies to be pushed on urban warfare restrictions

State delegates from around the world will meet this week in Geneva for UN-backed crunch talks, working towards a political declaration on restricting the use of wide area effect explosive weapons in urban conflict. If successful, the move could help save thousands of civilian lives. Representatives from more than 60 countries will meet from April […]
31 Mar, 2022
Investigations, Research
Iraq, Syria

The US has quietly restarted admitting to killing civilians in Iraq and Syria

The US-led International Coalition has quietly admitted to killing 18 more civilians in Iraq and Syria and injuring a further 11, its first such public concession in eight months. On March 10th, Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) – the US-led coalition against the so-called Islamic State – quietly released on its website its first public civilian […]
31 Mar, 2022
Update

Airwars announce our new Director

Emily Tripp will be the next Director of Airwars, the organisation’s Executive Board announced today, and will succeed the present head of the organisation Chris Woods in the summer. Emily is presently Airwars’ Research Manager, where she has strongly led on recent projects including the team’s monitoring of the conflict between Israel and Gaza in […]
24 Mar, 2022
Research
Syria

Patterns of civilian harm from Russia’s military actions in Syria (2015-2022)

Since the beginning of Russia’s military intervention in Syria in 2015, Airwars has tracked, documented and preserved every local allegation of civilian harm resulting from Russian actions – over 4,000 individual incidents from 61,915 unique sources. We have collected 11,181 names of civilians reported killed, and identified 1,383 family members killed in the same incidents. […]
22 Mar, 2022
Investigations, Policy
Syria, Ukraine

How Russia is using tactics from the Syrian playbook in Ukraine

Entire settlements reduced to rubble, attacks on civilian targets and the bombing of refugee exit routes were all part of Moscow’s brutal Syria campaign
15 Mar, 2022
Investigations
Ukraine

Civilian status in the Ukraine conflict: a rough guide

Do citizens who take up arms to resist Russian invasion lose protected status? A layperson's guide to the lines between civilians, militants and soldier.
3 Mar, 2022
Investigations
Ukraine

Airwars launches interactive Ukraine population density map

The map is designed for researchers seeking to understand how heavily populated Ukrainian neighbourhoods targeted by Russia are
22 Feb, 2022
Policy
Syria

Why a Russian war in Ukraine would be particularly deadly for civilians

On February 21st Russian President Vladimir Putin announced he would recognise the independence of two separatist regions inside Ukraine, with Russian troops reportedly moving there – steps widely seen as edging towards a full conflict. If Russia does, as has been predicted, invade part or all of Ukraine in the coming days, there are reasons […]
21 Feb, 2022
Investigations
Iraq, Syria

New documents reveal fresh concerns about the Coalition’s system for investigating civilian harm

Newly released documents allow fresh evaluation of how seriously the US military took reports of civilian harm. The findings suggest not very.
9 Feb, 2022
Policy

Airwars adds voice to 104 organisations calling on President Biden to overhaul US civilian harm approach

On February 8th, Airwars joined its voice with 104 other organisations – including human rights, humanitarian, protection of civilians, peacebuilding, civil liberties, social and racial justice, government accountability, veterans, and faith based NGOs – to call for President Joe Biden to act urgently to overhaul US civilian harm policies and practises. Recent New York Times […]
8 Feb, 2022
Investigations
Iraq

Who killed Ahmed and Youssef?

When two Iraqi holidaymakers were killed in the Kurdish region of the country, the finger of blame turned to Turkish strikes. But this investigation finds a roadside bomb was the more likely cause.
28 Jan, 2022
Policy

US Defense Secretary announces major shakeup of Pentagon civilian harm policies

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has announced major proposals to overhaul how the US military monitors, assesses and documents when its actions kill civilians, a move warily welcomed by human rights and civilian harm mitigation NGOs. Building on years of documentation by groups like the Syrian Network for Human Rights and Airwars, since late 2021 […]
12 Jan, 2022
Update

Key changes in Airwars governance announced

Elizabeth Minor, the longstanding voluntary Chair of Airwars, has sadly stepped down due to ill health, the organisation’s Board has announced. Since joining the Airwars Board in summer 2016, Elizabeth has been a critical driver of the organisation’s many successes. A leading conflict casualty recording expert, Elizabeth was a key contributor to Every Casualty Counts’ […]
22 Dec, 2021
Investigations, Research
Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Yemen

How do the ‘forever wars’ look under President Biden?

Is President Biden really going to end the America's decades-long campaign?
18 Dec, 2021
Investigations
Afghanistan

Trump and Biden’s secret Afghanistan air campaigns revealed

Almost 800 previously secret US airstrikes in Afghanistan during 2020 and 2021 are revealed, as US military declassifies data.
16 Dec, 2021
Policy

Debunking “collateral damage:” Airwars report launch on civilian harm

Airwars held the launch event for a new report on civilian harm in Israel and Gaza, bringing together British and European MPs with global experts on civilian protection in urban environments.
10 Dec, 2021
Investigations
Israel, Palestinian territories, Syria

Gaza and Syria: A Tale of Two Israeli Air Wars

New Airwars research finds that 10 times more civilians were killed in 11 days of Israel’s bombing of Gaza than in the entirety of its 8-year campaign in Syria