Research

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

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793 posts
14 Sep, 2020
Research
Libya

The siege of Tripoli: visualising a year of violence

Two months after the brutal siege of Libya’s capital ended, new interactive Airwars mapping shows the impact of 14 months of fighting between two rival governments on the city’s beleaguered civilians. Airwars has visualised every allegation of civilian harm from air and artillery strikes during the period of war in and around Tripoli between April […]
25 Aug, 2020
Research

Airwars monthly assessment – July 2020

Major Conflict Monitoring July 2020 saw a continuation of a trend observed the month before, with foreign action in Syria slowly increasing, particularly by Russia. Meanwhile, the US-led Coalition continued its operations against both ISIS and Iranian-backed groups in Syria, though at a seemingly lower intensity. In Iraq, ISIS’s insurgency had slightly increased in tempo, […]
7 Aug, 2020
Update
Iraq

Six years after the war against ISIS began, where now for Iraqis?

On the fateful evening of August 7th 2014, then-US President Barack Obama gave a live address to the nation announcing the beginning of military actions in Iraq against so-called Islamic State (also known as ISIS and Daesh), ushering in a new era of US involvement. The following day, US Navy F-18 Hornet fighters launched the […]
5 Aug, 2020
Research

Airwars monthly assessment – June 2020

Major Conflict Monitoring June 2020 saw a slight resurgence in foreign action in Syria, with sporadic Russian strikes being reported in Idlib; and with the US-led Coalition continuing its operations against Iranian-backed groups in Syria. In Iraq, ISIS’s insurgency has decreased significantly as Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) have increased the tempo of their own Counter-Terrorism […]
9 Jul, 2020
Update
Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Türkiye, Yemen

New UN report insists Soleimani assassination by US was ‘unlawful’

The US assassination of Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in Baghdad in January 2020, was unlawful on several counts, according to a new report submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council by its expert on extrajudicial killings. Dr Agnes Callamard, the current UN Special Rapporteur on Extra-Judicial Executions, […]
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 […]
29 Jun, 2020
Research

Airwars monthly assessment – May 2020

The ceasefire in Idlib between Russia and Turkey has continued to hold for the most part. But Libya's conflict continues to rage, with the Turkish-backed GNA gaining the upper hand in recent advances.
22 Jun, 2020
Update
Syria

Ongoing ceasefire between Russia and Turkey brings respite for Syrian civilians

Civilians are continuing to benefit from a months-long ceasefire in northern Syria, which has seen casualty numbers sharply fall to levels last seen in the early months of the civil war. Experts remain divided however, on how long this pause in fighting will last – and what it means for Syria and its divided people. […]
8 Jun, 2020
Update
Libya

In lightning advance, GNA reverses 14 months of Haftar’s Libya gains

In an extraordinary reversal, the opposition Libyan National Army (LNA) – believed until recently to be the dominant military power in Libya today – has been routed from much of its western territory in just a few weeks. Retreating LNA forces abandoned tanks, attack helicopters and other advanced weaponry as they fled the Government of […]
5 Jun, 2020
Research

Airwars monthly assessment – April 2020

Conflict in Libya ramps up as sense of calm presides over Syria and Iraq.
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 […]
5 May, 2020
Research

Airwars monthly assessment – March 2020

Fighting grinds to a halt in Idlib following ceasefire, but civilian harm incidents reported in other parts of Syria, Libya and Somalia.
16 Apr, 2020
Research

Airwars monthly assessment – February 2020

February 2020 saw up to 226 civilians killed in Syria as a result of Russian airstrikes and 404 more injured - as the regime continued to push through Idlib and Aleppo.
6 Apr, 2020
Research
Libya

Libya: a year of living dangerously

Tripoli, the capital of Libya, has entered its second year of being under siege, part of the most significant upsurge in violence in the country’s intermittent civil war since 2012. Hundreds of civilians have so far died – with little effort either domestically or internationally to bring the fighting to an end. While most of […]
24 Mar, 2020
Research

Airwars monthly assessment – January 2020

January 2020 saw a 15% rise in Russia civilian harm events as the regime and its ally pounded rebel-held territory in Idlib and Aleppo.
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.
25 Feb, 2020
Policy
Somalia

New Somalia resource shines light on US counterterrorism campaign

Airwars has launched a major new online resource for Somalia, providing the most comprehensive look yet at more than a decade of US counterterrorism actions in eastern Africa, and associated civilian harm claims. The nine month review has identified significantly higher levels of locally reported civilian harm than previously thought, with up to 280 non […]
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 […]
11 Feb, 2020
Report

Annual report – 2019/20

Civilian deaths from Russian actions in Syria dominated Airwars monitoring following the defeat of ISIS in March 2019.
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 […]
24 Dec, 2019
Update
Syria

More than 220 civilians likely killed in Turkish invasion of northern Syria

Eleven weeks on from the October 9th launch of a Turkish-led offensive against Kurds in northern Syria, known as ‘Operation Peace Spring’, fighting continues to rage with civilians still encountering significant violence. Since the beginning of the latest clashes, Airwars researchers have overall monitored between 244 and 312 reported civilian deaths resulting from air, artillery […]
23 Dec, 2019
Research

Airwars monthly assessment – November 2019

November 2019 saw a quadrupling in civilian harm claims against Russia and the regime in Syria
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 […]
11 Dec, 2019
Update

Airwars launches new fundraising appeal

Airwars is launching its first public fundraising appeal in over two years as 2019 draws to a close – hoping to raise at least £20,000 during December for vital work tracking civilian harm in multiple wars. Founded in 2014, Airwars is now monitoring civilian harm across six conflicts, and has recorded more than 51,000 locally […]
10 Dec, 2019
Research

Airwars monthly assessment – October 2019

More than 200 civilians were locally alleged killed by Turkish and Kurdish military actions in Syria during October. Civilian deaths were also significantly up in Libya.
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 […]
25 Nov, 2019
Research

Airwars monthly assessment – September 2019

During September 2019 reported civilian harm from military actions was down in both Syria and Libya.
14 Nov, 2019
Update

Yemen in Context: Past, Present and Future

Airwars research manager, Alex Hopkins, is speaking at a seminar looking at the current and varied dimensions of the conflict in Yemen, the world’s largest humanitarian catastrophe. Alex will be joined on a panel by Jennifer Gibson of Repieve and Awssan Kamal from Oxfam. He will be speaking about Airwars monitoring of civilian harm in […]