{"id":903,"date":"2015-05-13T13:33:36","date_gmt":"2015-05-13T13:33:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/airwars.org\/?p=903"},"modified":"2015-05-29T12:53:07","modified_gmt":"2015-05-29T12:53:07","slug":"why-weve-launched-airwars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/airwars.org\/why-weve-launched-airwars\/","title":{"rendered":"Why we’ve launched Airwars"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the first 40\u00a0weeks of\u00a0US-led\u00a0military action\u00a0against so-called Islamic State (Daesh), more than 3,800<\/span> airstrikes were\u00a0carried out by a dozen\u00a0international coalition members across\u00a0both Iraq and Syria. Those strikes saw around 13,000 bombs and missiles<\/a><\/span>\u00a0dropped in an aerial war likely to continue for many more months, if not years.<\/p>\n

Civilian non-combatants already faced great risk on the ground. Islamic State and other militant and terrorist groups have caused untold death and misery to thousands. In Syria, civilians are also repeatedly targeted by the Assad regime in indiscriminate bombings, while in Iraq both the Army and associated militias have been accused \u00a0of atrocities.<\/p>\n

Yet civilians are also at risk from the international coalition’s\u00a0actions. This\u00a0is a complex conflict, involving multiple allies\u00a0fighting across two nations. It is also an intense air war, with Islamic State frequently targeted by airstrikes within the towns and cities it now occupies. Civilian casualties are inevitable.<\/p>\n

\"Ibrahim<\/a>

Ibrahim al Mussul, a shepherd killed with his two daughters Jozah and Zahra in a reported US airstrike on his home, February 2nd 2015 (Syrian Network for Human Rights)<\/p><\/div>\n

Promoting accountability
\n<\/strong>Most of the 12 coalition members do\u00a0issue\u00a0at least some information about the strikes they conduct\u00a0– yet\u00a0there is rarely\u00a0mention of any casualties inflicted.<\/p>\n

With so many nations carrying out bombings, determining responsibility when civilians are killed or injured presents major challenges. We believe there is an acute need for greater openness\u00a0from our militaries – and our project\u00a0is an attempt to address this.<\/p>\n

Airwars is a non-aligned, not-for-profit organisation seeking to promote transparency and accountability by\u00a0the US and its allies in the following ways:<\/p>\n

*<\/strong>\u00a0We monitor and record\u00a0the international coalition’s airstrikes against Islamic State (Daesh) in both Iraq and Syria<\/p>\n

*<\/strong>\u00a0We archive all publicly available\u00a0official military reports of the war<\/p>\n

*<\/strong>\u00a0We collate – and aim to verify wherever possible – all credible\u00a0claims of non-combatant civilian deaths.<\/p>\n

The Airwars project was begun\u00a0in August 2014 by journalist Chris Woods, who previously set up and ran the award-winning\u00a0Drones Project<\/span><\/a> at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.<\/p>\n

“With so many airstrikes being carried out by so many nations in Iraq and Syria – yet with little real transparency or accountability – there is\u00a0an urgent need for credible independent monitoring,” says Woods. “We know from other recent conflicts that holding combatants to account for their actions can play a significant role in reducing the risk to civilians on the ground.”<\/p>\n

Airwars today comprises\u00a0a small team of professional journalists and researchers. While much of our work is voluntary, thanks to generous funding from the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust<\/span><\/a>\u00a0we also employ two part time specialists – an Iraqi and a Syrian – who monitor \u00a0Arabic media and monitoring groups, and follow up wherever possible credible claims of civilian casualties.<\/p>\n

In March 2015, Airwars\u00a0transitioned to this\u00a0purpose-built website thanks to the project\u2019s second core volunteer, data journalist Basile Simon.<\/p>\n

\"Montage<\/a>

Montage of damage from a reported coalition airstrike near Mosul April 20th 2015 (Photo: Mosul Residents Facebook page)<\/p><\/div>\n

Civilian casualties
\n<\/strong>Airstrikes can often\u00a0represent the greatest threat\u00a0to civilians on the ground during conflicts. And there are plenty of indications that the coalition’s air war against Islamic State places non-combatants at risk of death or injury:<\/p>\n