Research

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

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307 posts
http://syria.mil.ru/photo/gallery.htm?id=27368@cmsPhotoGallery
20 Aug, 2025
Research, Update
Syria

Airwars publishes final of 5,000 civilian harm incidents from Russian actions in Syria

Nine-year project involved tracking of thousands of strikes, and the deaths of up to 25,000 civilians
23 May, 2024
Policy

Looking back to look forward: recommendations for the Dutch MoD on civilian harm mitigation

The results of a four-year review with the Dutch military
1 May, 2024
Policy, Research
Iraq, Somalia, Syria, Yemen

Analysis: U.S. declares its military actions worldwide killed no civilians in 2022

The US declares its military actions in 2022 resulted in no civilians killed or injured. Airwars finds otherwise
27 Mar, 2024
Update
Ukraine

Airwars wins Sigma data journalism award

Recognition for project tracking Russian Shahed drone attacks on Ukrainian civilians
31 Jul, 2023
Policy, Research
Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria

Impossible standards: An analysis of the US military’s Baghdadi raid review

Unrealistic US standards for confirming civilian harm make it nearly impossible to acknowledge civilian casualties
3 Jul, 2023
Policy
Syria

Airwars joins call for a robust and transparent investigation in response to recent US strike in Syria

Coalition of rights groups demands Pentagon accountability after strike on 'Al-Qaeda leader' kills Syrian farmer
airwars.org ↗
29 May, 2023
Report

Annual report – 2022/23

Our work in 2022-2023
5 Apr, 2023
Policy, Update
Iraq, Syria

Airwars to challenge UK’s refusal to reveal details of sole civilian harm incident in ISIS war

Freedom of Information case step towards accountability for victims' families
4 Apr, 2023
Investigations, Policy
Iraq, Syria

Only official civilian victim of UK’s bombing campaign against IS appears not to exist

Two-year investigation finds major flaws in British government's official narrative
4 Apr, 2023
Update
Iraq, Syria

يكشف تحقيق مشترك لـ الحروب الجوية مع الجارديان عن سقوط ضحايا مدنيين جراء غارات جوية بريطانية

قضت الحروب الجوية و الجارديان العام الماضي في التحقيق في الغارات الجوية البريطانية في العراق وسوريا ، بين عامي 2014 و 2020. ووجدنا أدلة على ما لا يقل عن ست غارات جوية وقعت في الموصل ، يُرجح أنها كانت هجمات بريطانية ، قتلت وألحقت الأذى بالمدنيين في المدينة.
24 Mar, 2023
Update
Iraq, Syria

Airwars and The Guardian investigation reveals British civilian harm

In eight years of war, the UK only admitted killing one civilian. The Guardian and Airwars went in search of the forgotten victims
airwars.org ↗
21 Mar, 2023
Investigations, Policy

The hidden casualties of Britain’s war

The UK claims to have killed only one civilian in the war on ISIS. Airwars found otherwise
airwars.org ↗
23 Jan, 2023
Investigations

‘Waiting to happen’

An ISIS prison break - and the American mistakes that made it more likely
29 Sep, 2022
Policy, Research
Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Syria

Pentagon annual report admits 12 deaths resulting from US actions in 2021

All deaths reported were in Afghanistan
20 Sep, 2022
Investigations
Syria

ISIS breakout at US-backed prison followed years of warnings

Documentary with VICE investigates
26 Aug, 2022
Policy

United States new Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan cautiously welcomed by civil society

Airwars joins our civil society partners in welcoming the publication of the much awaited Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan (CHMR-AP), released yesterday by the US Department of Defense. The CHMR-AP reflects a years-long process of sustained pressure by individuals, civil society, journalists, activists and legislators to challenge the way the US military conducts […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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
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.
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 […]
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?