Research

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

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776 posts
9 Dec, 2021
Policy, Report
Israel, Palestinian territories, Syria

Israeli strikes on Gaza in May killed up to ten times as many civilians as lengthy Syria campaign, Airwars finds

'Why did they bomb us?' report finds major difference in military tactics, and outcomes for civilians
8 Dec, 2021
Policy, Report

“Why did they bomb us?” Urban civilian harm in Gaza, Syria and Israel from explosive weapons use

‘Why did they bomb us?’ Urban civilian harm in Gaza, Syria and Israel from explosive weapons use‘ – which is published in Arabic, Hebrew and English – provides the first comparative analysis of two very different Israeli military campaigns. Applying the same open source monitoring methodology Airwars uses to track civilian harm caused by the […]
3 Dec, 2021
Policy
Iraq

Fresh revelations show Hawijah’s people are still far from receiving answers on deadly 2015 Dutch airstrike

More than six years after much of the Iraqi city of Hawijah was devastated following a Dutch airstrike against ISIS, fresh revelations point to major ongoing problems for those seeking answers to the disaster in which at least 70 civilians died. Speaking at the annual PAX for Peace conference on the protection of civilians in […]
4 Nov, 2021
Policy
Iraq

Survivors of Hawijah call for justice, two years after Dutch finally admitted role in 2015 catastrophe

Airwars’ Netherlands-based advocacy partner, PAX for Peace, is currently undertaking research in the Iraqi city of Hawijah, where a 2015 US-led Coalition strike against ISIS led to the deaths of at least 70 civilians and the injuring of hundreds more. On the night of June 2nd-3rd 2015, Dutch F-16s bombed an ISIS Vehicle-Borne Improvised Devices […]
14 Oct, 2021
Policy
Iraq, Syria

Airwars and CIVIC: 20 years after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan began, NATO foreign and defence ministers must urgently learn lessons of the past on protecting civilians

This anniversary happens after last month saw a wave of resignations by senior Ministerial staff and frank debate across Parliaments in Europe, including in relation to the sudden and chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.  Airwars and Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) urge the new ministers to take a frank look at the mistakes of their […]
12 Oct, 2021
Policy
Iraq, Syria

New UK Foreign Secretary must learn lessons of past and be accountable for UK military actions abroad

Last week marked 20 years since the US-led ‘War on Terror’ began. The conflict has been defined by a series of major military actions in which the UK has supported the US and allies in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. The recent chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan saw the reshuffle of Dominic Raab from the Foreign, Commonwealth […]
1 Oct, 2021
Policy
Iraq, Syria

On anniversary of Belgium’s return to war against ISIS, civil society groups call for transparency and accountability for civilian harm

October 1st marks the anniversary of Belgium relaunching its participation in Operation Inherent Resolve – the international campaign against so-called Islamic State. Throughout its engagement in this coalition, Belgium has been one of the least transparent – and least accountable – countries when it comes to acknowledging civilian harm. In fact, the Government has refused […]
30 Sep, 2021
Research
Syria

After six years of Russian airstrikes in Syria, still no accountability for civilian deaths

To mark the sixth anniversary of Russia’s military intervention in Syria, Airwars is highlighting just five of the countless civilian harm events that characterise Russian involvement in the conflict. Overall since 2015, we have identified 4,615 incidents where Russia is alleged to have caused civilian deaths or injuries. This September alone, we estimate that ten […]
24 Sep, 2021
Investigations
Afghanistan

Five more Afghan strikes the US should apologise for

The US government has admitted the last drone strike of the Afghan war killed an entire family. Why stop there?
6 Sep, 2021
Investigations
Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Yemen

Tens of thousands of civilians likely killed by US in ‘Forever Wars’

A minimum of 22,000 civilians have been killed directly by US airstrikes since the start of the War on Terror in 2001, analysis finds.
27 Aug, 2021
Policy
Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria

As warfare changes, the UK’s protection of civilians falls further behind

Over the last decade, warfare has undergone significant changes. Countries such as the UK and US have increasingly done their best to avoid large-scale ground deployments of their own troops, focusing instead on supporting local forces, for instance by providing air power. Through the monitoring of nearly 60,000 locally alleged civilian deaths caused by belligerents […]
18 Aug, 2021
Policy
Iraq, Syria

Pentagon revelations increase pressure on European militaries to acknowledge killing civilians

When the Department of Defense withdrew a key part of its annual report on civilian harm earlier this month, it all but confirmed something long suspected – that France, Britain and Belgium know they likely killed civilians in Iraq and Syria in specific events, but refuse publicly to accept it. The original Pentagon report to Congress, […]
10 Aug, 2021
Investigations
Iraq, Syria

Pentagon wrongly admitted to killing 21 civilians in Iraq and Syria slain by allies

Allied nations almost certainly killed them. So why did the Defense Department tell Congress that the US was responsible?
10 Aug, 2021
Research
Iraq, Syria

International war against ISIS enters its eighth year

This article was originally published by The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft on August 8th 2021. For the little media coverage it receives these days, you might be forgiven for believing the US-led coalition’s war in Syria and Iraq to be over. Osama Al-Hamid’s family knows better. Last month, the young boy died during reported […]
28 Jul, 2021
Investigations
Israel, Palestinian territories

Countdown to the airstrike: the moment Israeli forces hit al-Jalaa tower, Gaza

What would you do if you had minutes to leave your home forever? Residents of a Gaza apartment block recall the frantic moments before it turned to rubble
1 Jul, 2021
Policy

After Hawija: The way forward for the Dutch Ministry of Defence

Airwars and our Dutch partners, who are involved in ongoing discussions with the Dutch military on practicable improvements in the protection of civilians, have published a Joint Statement outlining the progress so far, and our collective hopes and expectations moving forward. In October 2019, it was revealed that the Dutch military had been responsible for […]
2 Jun, 2021
Research
Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Yemen

Pentagon annual report declares 85 civilian deaths in recent US actions

The Pentagon’s annual report to Congress on civilian deaths and injuries resulting from US military actions around the world has declared more than 100 recent casualties. Researchers and human rights groups, including Airwars, Amnesty International and UN monitors in Afghanistan, place the actual toll significantly higher. For 2020 alone, the Department of Defence said that […]
25 May, 2021
Policy
Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen

90 percent of victims of explosive weapons in cities are civilians, report finds

Nine out of ten people killed and injured by explosive weapons in cities are civilians, a new report has found, in stark findings likely to increase pressure on governments to curb the use of explosive weapons in urban areas. In total the Action On Armed Violence (AOAV) report, which surveyed explosive violence across the globe […]
8 Apr, 2021
Policy
Yemen

Mwatana blasts CENTCOM silence on civilians killed in Yemen

The Yemeni human rights group Mwatana has accused US Central Command of being “very disrespectful to victims”, after it emerged that CENTCOM has still not publicly responded to a major investigation into civilians killed by US airstrikes and ground raids. Given five months’ advance notice of the findings of the investigation, which comprehensively detailed the […]
20 Mar, 2021
Investigations
Libya

NATO Killed Civilians in Libya. It’s Time to Admit It.

The alliance bombing campaign had a devastating toll—but, a decade after the war, leaders have still not taken responsibility.
19 Mar, 2021
Investigations
Libya

The secret talks that nearly saved Gaddafi

During Libya's 2011 civil war, Norway came close to brokering a brokering deal that would have seen Colonel Gaddafi step aside. So why did the United States and France oppose it?
18 Mar, 2021
Investigations
Libya

Ten years after the Libyan revolution, victims wait for justice

NATO members still refuse to discuss potential civilian harm from their strikes a decade after intervening against Gaddafi.
2 Mar, 2021
Investigations, Policy
Yemen

US military blames “administrative mistake” after forgetting its troops killed Yemeni civilians

The US military has blamed an “administrative mistake” after conceding it forgot its own admission of the killing of up to 12 civilians during a raid on a Yemeni village in early 2017. Details of the admission feature in the Airwars annual report for 2020 which published March 2nd. The US military led a raid […]
2 Mar, 2021
Research
Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Türkiye, Yemen

Significant drop in civilian harm during 2020 indicates Covid effect: Airwars annual report

Tracking by Airwars across multiple conflicts during 2020 shows that the number of locally reported civilian deaths from the use of explosive weapons was down by two thirds compared to the previous year. Of these fatalities, around half were in the first two months of 2020. Comprehensive new data released by Airwars in its Annual […]
2 Mar, 2021
Report

Annual report – 2020/21

Tracking by Airwars across multiple conflicts during 2020 showed that the number of locally reported civilian deaths from the use of explosive weapons was down by two thirds compared to the previous year. Of these fatalities, around half were in the first two months of 2020. This suggested a possible ‘Covid effect’ – a significant […]
25 Feb, 2021
Research
Iraq, Türkiye

Renewed military campaign in northern Iraq against PKK sees deaths of 13 Turkish captives

A renewed campaign by Turkey in mid February against a Kurdish militant faction – which has seen Turkish troops pushing deeper than ever before into northern Iraq – also saw the deaths of thirteen Turkish civilian and military captives in a highly controversial attack, Airwars monitoring of the region shows. On February 10th, the Turkish […]
5 Feb, 2021
Update
Libya

Libyan transitional government elected in bid to pave way for peace process

Libya’s rival political factions agreed to form a transitional government on February 5th, further cementing a June ceasefire meant to end the country’s civil war. After a lengthy UN-mediated process, the 73 delegates of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) voted for Mohammad Menfi as head of the Presidency Council; Abdul Hamid Dbeibah as Prime […]
15 Jan, 2021
Update
Libya

Airwars launches mapping of every known airstrike in Libya since 2012

In it latest data project, Airwars has published comprehensive mapping of more than 5,400 air and artillery strikes in Libya since 2012. The new data covers all known locally-reported strikes to date, conducted by all parties to an on-and-off civil war that is currently on pause, after last year’s UN-brokered ceasefire deal. A team of […]
12 Jan, 2021
Policy, Update
Iraq, Libya, Syria

Belgian parliament to vote on resolution to protect civilians from explosive weapon use in cities

The Belgian parliament is considering adopting a resolution to help protect civilians from the use of explosive weapons with wide-area effects in populated areas. The resolution calls for Belgium’s active participation in ongoing diplomatic negotiations among nations on an international political declaration to avoid the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, to help reduce […]
22 Dec, 2020
Research

Airwars monthly assessment – November 2020

Major Conflict Monitoring Civilian harm from foreign military action in all tracked conflicts have remained low, with little change observed in November compared to previous months. In Syria, Russian actions have decreased from October. It has also been a quieter month for US-led actions in Syria, although reports of US-led strikes on Iranian forces in […]