Research

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

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55 posts
31 Jan, 2024
Policy
Libya

Airwars/Altinget investigation sparks Danish civilian harm review

Danish Armed Forces ordered to conduct a formal review of the allegations
25 Jan, 2024
Investigations
Libya

How we exposed secretive Danish role in Libyan civilian deaths

A behind-the-scenes look at the investigation that forced an official Danish military review
25 Jan, 2024
Investigations, Policy
Libya

Denmark admits role in NATO airstrikes on Libya that killed 14 civilians in 2011

Exposing the Danish military's role in 2011 Libya airstrikes that killed 14 civilians
1 Feb, 2023
Policy, Research
Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Yemen

US airstrikes fell to historic low in 2022, despite fresh operations

The overall number of declared US airstrikes across all monitored military theatres fell from 441 in 2021 to a minimum of 36 in 2022
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 […]
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 […]
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?
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
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
7 Dec, 2020
Research

Airwars Bi-monthly assessment – September & October 2020

Major Conflict Monitoring The months of September and October 2020 saw a flurry of activity from Airwars. Starting with the launch of new interactive mapping of reported civilian harm during the recent siege of Tripoli; through to our major joint report with PAX examining the civilian impact of the use of explosive weapons in cities; […]
23 Oct, 2020
Update
Libya

Libya’s rival governments agree surprise ceasefire deal

The two most important parties to the conflict in Libya, the Government of National Accord (GNA) and the Libyan National Army (LNA), agreed on October 23rd to an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Geneva under the auspices of the United Nations. The landmark deal – which took many Libya analysts by surprise – could possibly […]
29 Sep, 2020
Research

Airwars monthly assessment – August 2020

Major Conflict Monitoring While civilian harm from foreign actions in the conflicts monitored by Airwars mostly decreased during August, Ankara’s continuing air and ground campaign against Kurdish militants led to the worst reported civilian harm tally in northern Iraq from Turkish action since 2015. Civilian harm incidents involving Russia in Syria (already at a low […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.
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 […]