airwars--2020-02-11--Airwars annual report: over 2,200 civilians claimed killed in 2019

During 2019 - for the first time in five years - monitors tracked a sharp move away from US-led Coalition civilian deaths .
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 in Syria in March .
However , elsewhere civilians remained in significant danger .
Russian strikes in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least 1,000 lives in the fierce Idlib and Hama offensives .
Meanwhile , Turkey ’ s invasion of northern Syria in October saw over 300 non-combatants alleged killed .
The year also saw alarming developments in Libya .
From April , the Libyan National Army ’ s Tripoli offensive had a devastating impact on civilians .
As more foreign powers joined the conflict , alleged deaths rose by an astonishing 720 % on 2018 .
Almost half of all civilian deaths in Libya ’ s civil war since 2012 occurred last year .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of war , ISIS was finally ousted from Syria , when the Syrian Democratic Forces seized the town of al-Baghuz al Fawqani in Ezzor governorate .
This followed the terror group ’ s earlier defeat in Iraq in December 2017 .
Yet this final assault came at a terrible cost for civilians trapped on the ground .
Of the minimum of 2,214 civilians locally alleged killed during 2019 , at least 470 deaths ( 21 % ) reportedly occurred as a result of US-led Coalition strikes in the first quarter of 2019 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 23rd , with ISIS downgraded to an insurgency , there was a significant winding down in Coalition strikes .
As a result , locally alleged civilian deaths from alliance actions rapidly declined .
For the first time in five years , the Coalition was no longer the primary driver of civilian harm in Airwars monitoring .
Indeed , our tracking shows that many more civilians were claimed killed by almost every other monitored belligerent than by the US-led alliance between April and December 2019 .
With this shift away from Coalition civilian deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and with partner militaries began moving towards post-conflict restitution and reconciliation engagements .
Civilians may finally have gained respite from Coalition strikes , but 2019 saw them face increased danger on other fronts .
Russia ’ s ongoing campaign in Syria continued to devastate civilian populations and infrastructure .
In total , our researchers tracked at least 1,000 civilian deaths in 710 casualty incidents reportedly carried out by Russia .
Some 81 % of these events were in Idlib governorate , where Russia lent its formidable airpower to the regime ’ s offensive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in October , Syria ’ s civilians faced a new threat from Turkey .
The offensive came against a backdrop of repeated Turkish threats to unilaterally invade northern Syria .
The chaotic withdrawal of US forces on October 7th gave Turkey a green light to launch its ‘ Operation Peace Spring ’ .
Airwars research shows that there were between 246 and 314 locally alleged civilian deaths in 207 casualty incidents involving both sides during the final three months of 2019 .
Most disturbingly , there were numerous claims of war crimes by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ civilians and enemy fighters .
Meanwhile , civilian harm spiralled in Libya .
Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar ’ s self-styled Libyan National Army ( LNA ) launched its offensive on Tripoli in April .
However , what was intended to be a brief conflict soon turned into a protracted siege , with foreign powers playing an increased role , particularly in a proxy drone war between the United Arab Emirates and Turkey .
The impact on civilians was dire .
Between April 4th and December 31st 2019 , local sources reported between 279 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the intensity of 2019 ’ s bombing is shown by the fact that more than 48 % of all locally reported civilian fatalities in Libya ’ s civil war since 2012 occurred during the nine months between April and December 2019 .
In April , Airwars expanded its conflict portfolio when it took over the Bureau of Investigative Journalism ’ s long running monitoring of US counter terrorism drone strikes and civilian harm claims in Yemen , Somalia , and Pakistan .
We are currently reviewing this significant dataset using Airwars ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US air and ground operations in Somalia since 2007 is now complete – with our annual report revealing that a maximum of 44 civilian deaths were alleged during 2019 , in thirteen locally claimed civilian harm events .
Overall the US declared 63 airstrikes against both al Shabaab and ISIS for the year – the highest ever tally .
Our emphasis at Airwars has always been working on behalf of affected civilians .
Throughout 2019 , our advocacy teams continued to engage with the US-led Coalition and its allies .
More than half @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the year were Airwars referrals for example – with at least 220 additional deaths conceded .
Substantial talks on transparency and accountability for civilian harm were also held with senior Pentagon officials ; with the British and Dutch ministries of defence ; and with NATO ’ s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps .
In November , the Netherlands finally admitted responsibility for a June 2015 strike in Hawijah , Iraq , which killed at least 70 civilians , according to locals .
Airwars is now partnering with a number of Dutch NGOs and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long term improvements in transparency and accountability for civilian harm by the Netherlands military .
“ Since Airwars began in 2014 , our exceptional team has tracked more than 50,000 locally reported civilian deaths across several conflict nations , ” notes Airwars director Chris Woods .
“ As our 2019 report demonstrates , civilian harm remains a constant in war .
Yet too often , belligerents deny or downplay civilian harm – even when local communities themselves are making clear the true costs of conflict .
”

During 2019 - for the first time in five years - monitors tracked a sharp move away from US-led Coalition civilian deaths.
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 in Syria in March.
However, elsewhere civilians remained in significant danger. Russian strikes in support of the Assad regime claimed at least 1,000 lives in the fierce Idlib and Hama offensives. Meanwhile, Turkey’s invasion of northern Syria in October saw over 300 non-combatants alleged killed.
The year also saw alarming developments in Libya. From April, the Libyan National Army’s Tripoli offensive had a devastating impact on civilians. As more foreign powers joined the conflict, alleged deaths rose by an astonishing 720% on 2018. Almost half of all civilian deaths in Libya’s civil war since 2012 occurred last year.
Download our full annual report for 2019
The US-led Coalition in Syria: a brutal final assault
On March 23rd, after 55 months of war, ISIS was finally ousted from Syria, when the Syrian Democratic Forces seized the town of al-Baghuz al Fawqani in Ezzor governorate. This followed the terror group’s earlier defeat in Iraq in December 2017.
Yet this final assault came at a terrible cost for civilians trapped on the ground. Of the minimum of 2,214 civilians locally alleged killed during 2019, at least 470 deaths (21%) reportedly occurred as a result of US-led Coalition strikes in the first quarter of 2019, in Deir Ezzor governorate.
After March 23rd, with ISIS downgraded to an insurgency, there was a significant winding down in Coalition strikes. As a result, locally alleged civilian deaths from alliance actions rapidly declined.
For the first time in five years, the Coalition was no longer the primary driver of civilian harm in Airwars monitoring. Indeed, our tracking shows that many more civilians were claimed killed by almost every other monitored belligerent than by the US-led alliance between April and December 2019.
With this shift away from Coalition civilian deaths, Airwars’ focus with the alliance and with partner militaries began moving towards post-conflict restitution and reconciliation engagements.
Syria’s civilians remain at great risk
Civilians may finally have gained respite from Coalition strikes, but 2019 saw them face increased danger on other fronts. Russia’s ongoing campaign in Syria continued to devastate civilian populations and infrastructure.
In total, our researchers tracked at least 1,000 civilian deaths in 710 casualty incidents reportedly carried out by Russia. Some 81% of these events were in Idlib governorate, where Russia lent its formidable airpower to the regime’s offensive to oust the rebels.
Additionally, in October, Syria’s civilians faced a new threat from Turkey. The offensive came against a backdrop of repeated Turkish threats to unilaterally invade northern Syria. The chaotic withdrawal of US forces on October 7th gave Turkey a green light to launch its ‘Operation Peace Spring’.
Airwars research shows that there were between 246 and 314 locally alleged civilian deaths in 207 casualty incidents involving both sides during the final three months of 2019. Most disturbingly, there were numerous claims of war crimes by both sides, including summary executions of civilians and enemy fighters.
Libya: a 720% rise in civilian deaths
Meanwhile, civilian harm spiralled in Libya. Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar’s self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) launched its offensive on Tripoli in April. However, what was intended to be a brief conflict soon turned into a protracted siege, with foreign powers playing an increased role, particularly in a proxy drone war between the United Arab Emirates and Turkey.
The impact on civilians was dire. Between April 4th and December 31st 2019, local sources reported between 279 and 399 civilian deaths. A measure of the intensity of 2019’s bombing is shown by the fact that more than 48% of all locally reported civilian fatalities in Libya’s civil war since 2012 occurred during the nine months between April and December 2019.
Somalia: Record number of declared US actions
In April, Airwars expanded its conflict portfolio when it took over the Bureau of Investigative Journalism’s long running monitoring of US counter terrorism drone strikes and civilian harm claims in Yemen, Somalia, and Pakistan. We are currently reviewing this significant dataset using Airwars’ own internationally-respected methodology.
Our assessment of US air and ground operations in Somalia since 2007 is now complete – with our annual report revealing that a maximum of 44 civilian deaths were alleged during 2019, in thirteen locally claimed civilian harm events. Overall the US declared 63 airstrikes against both al Shabaab and ISIS for the year – the highest ever tally.
Advocating on behalf of affected non-combatants
Our emphasis at Airwars has always been working on behalf of affected civilians. Throughout 2019, our advocacy teams continued to engage with the US-led Coalition and its allies. More than half of all Coalition-conceded conceded civilian harm events during the year were Airwars referrals for example – with at least 220 additional deaths conceded.
Substantial talks on transparency and accountability for civilian harm were also held with senior Pentagon officials; with the British and Dutch ministries of defence; and with NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps.
In November, the Netherlands finally admitted responsibility for a June 2015 strike in Hawijah, Iraq, which killed at least 70 civilians, according to locals. Airwars is now partnering with a number of Dutch NGOs and academics, with a focus on securing long term improvements in transparency and accountability for civilian harm by the Netherlands military.
“Since Airwars began in 2014, our exceptional team has tracked more than 50,000 locally reported civilian deaths across several conflict nations,” notes Airwars director Chris Woods. “As our 2019 report demonstrates, civilian harm remains a constant in war. Yet too often, belligerents deny or downplay civilian harm – even when local communities themselves are making clear the true costs of conflict.”
Download our full annual report for 2019


airwars--2020-02-06--Dutch F-16 pilots break their silence on airstrikes and civilian harm

Book authors say pilots wish for more government openness about Dutch military campaigns “ 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 I heard about it .
Terrible , yes .
I feel co-responsible .
I launched that bomb and pressed the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people who had nothing to do with the war .
That is a very particular experience .
It ’ s a slap in your face .
It goes against everything you are there for .
You are there to help the Iraqi people.
” Dutch F-16 pilot ‘ Stefan ’ , describing his role in a deadly Mosul airstrike in 2015 which killed four family members .
Translation of an excerpt from the book Missie F-16 by Olof van Joolen and Silvan Schoonhoven ( 2019 , Nieuw Amsterdam ) Dutch F-16s conducted hundreds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Iraq and Syria between 2014 and 2018 .
Yet the Netherlands has been one of the least transparent countries when it comes to possible civilian casualties from US-led Coalition actions .
Part of the reason for that Dutch secrecy has been an insistence that pilots and their families must be protected from retaliation – and until now the community has been tight , with almost no outside access .
Now De Telegraaf journalists Olof van Joolen and Silvan Schoonhoven have managed to speak with Dutch pilots for their book Missie F-16 ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was published in November 2019 .
The book is a history of the Dutch use of F-16s in aerial warfare .
The authors interviewed pilots who flew during the Cold War ; the war in former Yugoslavia ; and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan .
Covering more recent conflicts , they also interviewed pilots who were operating in Libya in 2011 ; and in the US-led Coalition against ISIS .
The book deals surprisingly frankly with pilot concern about civilian harm – and challenges an ongoing insistence on secrecy by the Dutch ministry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the authors .
Olof van Joolen ( a defence reporter ) and Silvan Schoonhoven ( reporting on terrorism and security services ) published their book earlier than scheduled on November 13th 2019 , after Dutch media outlets NOS and NRC broke their story about the Netherlands being responsible for at least 70 civilian deaths in Hawijah , Iraq in June 2015 .
In response to that investigation , Dutch Minister of Defence Bijleveld also acknowledged responsibility for an airstrike in Mosul on September 20th , 2015 , which had led to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s authors had been able to speak with Basim Razzo , who lost his brother , wife , daughter and nephew in the attack – as well as the pilot who had dropped the bomb on the Razzo house .
Previously , it had been though that a US aircraft had carried out the attack .
What was it like interviewing Stefan , the pilot who dropped the bomb on the Razzo house ?
Schoonhoven : “ We realised that he was completely drowning in this story .
He was ready to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ finish .
He couldn ’ t share this with his family .
These past weeks have been very tough for him – to see a videotaped interview with Basim Razzo .
He had read about him , but not seen his face , let alone see him cry.
” Van Joolen : “ He really would have liked to see this handled properly .
He feels terrible about it .
People expect some master plan from the Ministry of Defence in incidents like this .
Trust me , that wasn ’ t the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ numbers In a chapter on civilian casualties , pilot Jeffrey , nickname “ Scatman ” , is asked about what he thinks of Airwars estimates of civilian casualties .
“ Airwars delivers nonsensical numbers ” , claims Scatman .
“ I don ’ t believe that the American [ military ’ s lower ] numbers are wrong .
It just doesn ’ t work that way .
I know exactly where I flew myself and the exact metre where my bomb fell .
How do they think it works ?
That you can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ later : “ No , it wasn ’ t me ” ?
And that you can get away with it ?
” [ Editor ’ s note : More than half of all Coalition-confirmed civilian harm events during 2019 were referrals from Airwars , with the alliance itself previously failing to identify concerns .
It is clear that pilots are often unaware of the consequences of their actions . ]
This quote seems quite ironic now we know that this is exactly what happened for more than four years with the Hawija case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about how he just can not believe , from his own experiences , that the general Airwars numbers are correct .
He thinks that they would have seen if indeed so many civilian casualties had fallen in the more than 2,000 airstrikes that the Netherlands carried out.
” Yet , you did not further dive into that discrepancy between the Airwars numbers and the official Coalition numbers .
How did you make sure that this book did not become an uncritical outlet for pilots ?
Van Joolen : “ I think that is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the book , that is not the case .
We also talked to Bassim Razzo .
We wouldn ’ t have if we just wanted to write a glorious story about pilots .
As a journalist , you can conclude that there is an Airwars number and that there is an official number , and you should mention both .
We did that.
” Schoonhoven : “ And if we were an outlet for the Dutch air forces , we would not even have mentioned Airwars.
” But you did not further dive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Schoonhoven : “ There is a remarkable discrepancy .
I can not explain that .
I believe Airwars is a legit organisation , but at the same time , I believe what Scatman says .
That it is impossible to throw a bomb and then pretend you did not throw it .
It ’ s always going to come out.
” The Ministry of Defence , when asked about their lack of transparency for airstrikes in Syria and Iraq , has continually pointed to the safety of pilots and families .
Yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with their full names and even pilots who were active during the fight against ISIS are pictured in their aircraft .
How did you experience this safety issue when interviewing pilots themselves ?
Van Joolen : “ They generally don ’ t have issues with being photographed .
They are not really clearly distinguishable people .
Once they put on their jeans rather than their uniform , you couldn ’ t point them out .
They are more worried about their full names being published .
Now you might have a photo of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ online and very hard to connect to his real name .
With a full name , you could find his address.
” “ There is a lot of , not sure if it is the right word , trauma among these guys .
The death of Jordanian pilot Moaz Al Kasabeh , who was captured by ISIS and burned to death in a cage , really left an impact .
We interviewed a Dutch pilot who just spoke to Al Kasabeh on the military base in Jordan before Al Kasabeh went on his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among pilots is for their families .
Their worst fear is being ‘ over there ’ and that there is someone back home standing near their wife , mother or children .
That is when they feel threatened.
” How did officials react when they heard you were writing a book about this topic , as they have been notoriously secretive ?
Van Joolen : “ I need to give my compliments to the Dutch air force .
Whenever you publish something that involves still active military personnel , they need to approve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our research have they said that we could not write something down or should change something.
” “ However , something interesting occurred during our research .
Pilots continuously talked to us about ‘ confirmed kills ’ .
They would say something like : “ One night I had 50 confirmed kills !
” The Brits have been publishing reports of these confirmed kills .
So we asked the air force if we could receive a list as well .
And then they said : “ We do not have such a list.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The pilots kept referring to ‘ confirmed kills ’ , but there is no official record of this ?
And if the Brits can publish such a list , why can ’ t we ?
” Do you think the pilots themselves are receptive towards more transparency ?
Van Joolen : “ Absolutely , one hundred per cent .
In fact , it would help many of them .
In the book we write for example write about the case of Uruzgan , Afghanistan .
Back home , people thought our men @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when in fact , they were risking their lives and losing their colleagues .
Because it was sold as a “ school building mission ” .
That is breaking soldiers .
It is incredibly important for military personnel that people at home know what they were doing , so that when they come back , they can deal with their traumas.
” What then do you think is the main issue with improving transparency ?
Van Joolen : “ The interesting question is : where is the bottleneck when it comes to transparency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interviews we have had , I think the issue is with the Department of Defence , rather than in the armed forces .
There ’ s this quote in the book by Johan van Deventer , who is currently acting head of operations .
He said : “ I handed in a list in my final report as detachment commandant in the fight against ISIS , in which I explicitly stated how many fighters , buildings and vehicles we eliminated.
” They did not like that in The Hague .
“ Did you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told him .
Some got angry .
That is a very telling quote about the mindset in The Hague.
” “ That is one of the points we are trying to make with this book : stop with all the strange secrecy .
Admit that if you sent a unit of F-16s , you are sending our most effective weapon to do its job .
You should be transparent about that , so that people know what you are doing there .
I found it very shocking to hear from military personnel who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knowledge MPs had about the reality of war .
They really have no idea.
” In an interview with Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad on January 24th , 2020 , Basim Razzo , the survivor of the deadly airstrike on his house in Mosul , stated that he still had not received an apology from the Dutch government , despite the public acknowledgement of Dutch responsibility .
As Mr Razzo noted : “ I can ’ t think of a reason why I haven ’ t heard from the Dutch government .
Out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acknowledging responsibility , I expect them to contact me and do the right thing .
I think I am entitled to an official apology and then a real compensation for the loss of four lives and two houses.
” Due to the lack of action on the side of the Dutch state , Razzo is now being supported by human rights lawyer Liesbeth Zegveld , who aims to hold the Dutch government accountable for the loss and damage which Mr Razzo and his family have endured , stating to Algemeen Dagblad that “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are have to follow legal proceedings for that ” .
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence told Algemeen Dagblad that they did not know why Razzo had not been contacted yet , but that a letter will be send to Parliament shortly outlining possible victim compensation .
The spokesperson also asserted that “ the Netherlands is responsible , but not liable .
Nevertheless , we want to see what we can do for the communities on a voluntary basis.
” That letter to Parliament is expected in mid February 2020 , indicating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to acknowledge the truth of its actions , but also to take accountability when strikes go wrong .

Book authors say pilots wish for more government openness about Dutch military campaigns
“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 I heard about it. Terrible, yes. I feel co-responsible. I launched that bomb and pressed the button. I ended the lives of people who had nothing to do with the war. That is a very particular experience. It’s a slap in your face. It goes against everything you are there for. You are there to help the Iraqi people.”
Dutch F-16 pilot ‘Stefan’, describing his role in a deadly Mosul airstrike in 2015 which killed four family members. Translation of an excerpt from the book Missie F-16 by Olof van Joolen and Silvan Schoonhoven (2019, Nieuw Amsterdam)
Dutch F-16s conducted hundreds of airstrikes against the terror group ISIS in Iraq and Syria between 2014 and 2018. Yet the Netherlands has been one of the least transparent countries when it comes to possible civilian casualties from US-led Coalition actions.
Part of the reason for that Dutch secrecy has been an insistence that pilots and their families must be protected from retaliation – and until now the community has been tight, with almost no outside access. Now De Telegraaf journalists Olof van Joolen and Silvan Schoonhoven have managed to speak with Dutch pilots for their book Missie F-16 (‘F-16 Mission’), which was published in November 2019.
The book is a history of the Dutch use of F-16s in aerial warfare. The authors interviewed pilots who flew during the Cold War; the war in former Yugoslavia; and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Covering more recent conflicts, they also interviewed pilots who were operating in Libya in 2011; and in the US-led Coalition against ISIS.
The book deals surprisingly frankly with pilot concern about civilian harm – and challenges an ongoing insistence on secrecy by the Dutch ministry of defence. Airwars has been speaking with the authors.
The Mosul Incident
Olof van Joolen (a defence reporter) and Silvan Schoonhoven (reporting on terrorism and security services) published their book earlier than scheduled on November 13th 2019, after Dutch media outlets NOS and NRC broke their story about the Netherlands being responsible for at least 70 civilian deaths in Hawijah, Iraq in June 2015.
In response to that investigation, Dutch Minister of Defence Bijleveld also acknowledged responsibility for an airstrike in Mosul on September 20th, 2015, which had led to the deaths of four civilians. The book’s authors had been able to speak with Basim Razzo, who lost his brother, wife, daughter and nephew in the attack – as well as the pilot who had dropped the bomb on the Razzo house. Previously, it had been though that a US aircraft had carried out the attack.
What was it like interviewing Stefan, the pilot who dropped the bomb on the Razzo house?
Schoonhoven: “We realised that he was completely drowning in this story. He was ready to tell us everything – from start to finish. He couldn’t share this with his family. These past weeks have been very tough for him – to see a videotaped interview with Basim Razzo. He had read about him, but not seen his face, let alone see him cry.”
Van Joolen: “He really would have liked to see this handled properly. He feels terrible about it. People expect some master plan from the Ministry of Defence in incidents like this. Trust me, that wasn’t the case.”
Discrepancy between official and Airwars numbers
In a chapter on civilian casualties, pilot Jeffrey, nickname “Scatman”, is asked about what he thinks of Airwars estimates of civilian casualties.
“Airwars delivers nonsensical numbers”, claims Scatman. “I don’t believe that the American [military’s lower] numbers are wrong. It just doesn’t work that way. I know exactly where I flew myself and the exact metre where my bomb fell. How do they think it works? That you can secretly make casualties somewhere and then say later: “No, it wasn’t me”? And that you can get away with it?”
[Editor’s note: More than half of all Coalition-confirmed civilian harm events during 2019 were referrals from Airwars, with the alliance itself previously failing to identify concerns. It is clear that pilots are often unaware of the consequences of their actions.]
This quote seems quite ironic now we know that this is exactly what happened for more than four years with the Hawija case.
Schoonhoven: “His quote is about how he just cannot believe, from his own experiences, that the general Airwars numbers are correct. He thinks that they would have seen if indeed so many civilian casualties had fallen in the more than 2,000 airstrikes that the Netherlands carried out.”
Yet, you did not further dive into that discrepancy between the Airwars numbers and the official Coalition numbers. How did you make sure that this book did not become an uncritical outlet for pilots?
Van Joolen: “I think that is a strange question. If you read the book, that is not the case. We also talked to Bassim Razzo. We wouldn’t have if we just wanted to write a glorious story about pilots. As a journalist, you can conclude that there is an Airwars number and that there is an official number, and you should mention both. We did that.”
Schoonhoven: “And if we were an outlet for the Dutch air forces, we would not even have mentioned Airwars.”
But you did not further dive into possible explanations for this massive difference.
Schoonhoven: “There is a remarkable discrepancy. I cannot explain that. I believe Airwars is a legit organisation, but at the same time, I believe what Scatman says. That it is impossible to throw a bomb and then pretend you did not throw it. It’s always going to come out.”
Pilot safety
The Ministry of Defence, when asked about their lack of transparency for airstrikes in Syria and Iraq, has continually pointed to the safety of pilots and families. Yet some pilots in your book are mentioned with their full names and even pilots who were active during the fight against ISIS are pictured in their aircraft. How did you experience this safety issue when interviewing pilots themselves?
Van Joolen: “They generally don’t have issues with being photographed. They are not really clearly distinguishable people. Once they put on their jeans rather than their uniform, you couldn’t point them out. They are more worried about their full names being published. Now you might have a photo of Scatman, but it’s not online and very hard to connect to his real name. With a full name, you could find his address.”
“There is a lot of, not sure if it is the right word, trauma among these guys. The death of Jordanian pilot Moaz Al Kasabeh, who was captured by ISIS and burned to death in a cage, really left an impact. We interviewed a Dutch pilot who just spoke to Al Kasabeh on the military base in Jordan before Al Kasabeh went on his final mission. But the real fear among pilots is for their families. Their worst fear is being ‘over there’ and that there is someone back home standing near their wife, mother or children. That is when they feel threatened.”
Bottlenecks in transparency
How did officials react when they heard you were writing a book about this topic, as they have been notoriously secretive?
Van Joolen: “I need to give my compliments to the Dutch air force. Whenever you publish something that involves still active military personnel, they need to approve it. Not at any time during our research have they said that we could not write something down or should change something.”
“However, something interesting occurred during our research. Pilots continuously talked to us about ‘confirmed kills’. They would say something like: “One night I had 50 confirmed kills!” The Brits have been publishing reports of these confirmed kills. So we asked the air force if we could receive a list as well. And then they said: “We do not have such a list.” I don’t believe that. The pilots kept referring to ‘confirmed kills’, but there is no official record of this? And if the Brits can publish such a list, why can’t we?”
Do you think the pilots themselves are receptive towards more transparency?
Van Joolen: “Absolutely, one hundred per cent. In fact, it would help many of them. In the book we write for example write about the case of Uruzgan, Afghanistan. Back home, people thought our men were building schools and wells there, when in fact, they were risking their lives and losing their colleagues. Because it was sold as a “school building mission”. That is breaking soldiers. It is incredibly important for military personnel that people at home know what they were doing, so that when they come back, they can deal with their traumas.”
What then do you think is the main issue with improving transparency?
Van Joolen: “The interesting question is: where is the bottleneck when it comes to transparency in the Netherlands? From all the interviews we have had, I think the issue is with the Department of Defence, rather than in the armed forces. There’s this quote in the book by Johan van Deventer, who is currently acting head of operations. He said: “I handed in a list in my final report as detachment commandant in the fight against ISIS, in which I explicitly stated how many fighters, buildings and vehicles we eliminated.” They did not like that in The Hague. “Did you have to do that,” they told him. Some got angry. That is a very telling quote about the mindset in The Hague.”
“That is one of the points we are trying to make with this book: stop with all the strange secrecy. Admit that if you sent a unit of F-16s, you are sending our most effective weapon to do its job. You should be transparent about that, so that people know what you are doing there. I found it very shocking to hear from military personnel who talked with Members of Parliament how little knowledge MPs had about the reality of war. They really have no idea.”
Postscript: From truth to accountability
In an interview with Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad on January 24th, 2020, Basim Razzo, the survivor of the deadly airstrike on his house in Mosul, stated that he still had not received an apology from the Dutch government, despite the public acknowledgement of Dutch responsibility.
As Mr Razzo noted: “I can’t think of a reason why I haven’t heard from the Dutch government. Out of decency and as a moral act of acknowledging responsibility, I expect them to contact me and do the right thing. I think I am entitled to an official apology and then a real compensation for the loss of four lives and two houses.”
Due to the lack of action on the side of the Dutch state, Razzo is now being supported by human rights lawyer Liesbeth Zegveld, who aims to hold the Dutch government accountable for the loss and damage which Mr Razzo and his family have endured, stating to Algemeen Dagblad that “it’s actually shameful that we are have to follow legal proceedings for that”.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence told Algemeen Dagblad that they did not know why Razzo had not been contacted yet, but that a letter will be send to Parliament shortly outlining possible victim compensation.
The spokesperson also asserted that “the Netherlands is responsible, but not liable. Nevertheless, we want to see what we can do for the communities on a voluntary basis.” That letter to Parliament is expected in mid February 2020, indicating whether the Netherlands is ready not only to acknowledge the truth of its actions, but also to take accountability when strikes go wrong.


airwars--2020-05-07--Pentagon concedes 211 more civilian deaths across four war zones in latest report to Congress

Nineteen of 40 events declared by the Pentagon to Congress for Iraq , Syria and Somalia for the past year were Airwars referrals , official records show 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 on Civilian Casualties In Connection With United States Military Operations is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law by Congress since 2018 .
According to the report – which included details of continuing Pentagon efforts to improve both accountability and transparency for civilian harm – “ U.S .
forces also protect civilians because it is the moral and ethical thing to do .
Although civilian casualties are a tragic and unavoidable part of war , the U.S. military is steadfastly committed to limiting harm to civilians.
” During 2019 , the majority of declared civilian deaths from US actions took place in Afghanistan .
According to the Pentagon , 108 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 57 incidents .
Fourteen of those events involved US ground forces .
That casualty tally represented a significant undercount according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan ( UNAMA ) , which has been comprehensively monitoring civilian deaths from all parties for more than a decade .
According to UNAMA ’ s own Annual Report , at least 559 civilians were killed and 786 injured by international military actions during 2019 – almost all by airstrikes .
Officially confirmed civilian deaths from US actions in Iraq and Syria fell steeply – down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year , to 101 deaths conceded in the latest report .
That sharp reduction was partly expected , given the significant reduction in battle tempo following the bloody capture of both Mosul and Raqqa in 2017 .
However , in early 2019 very significant civilian fatalities were locally alleged from Coalition air and artillery strikes during the final stages of the war – only a fraction of which have been admitted .
Of the 73 known civilian harm claims against the US-led Coalition during 2019 , Airwars presently estimates that at least 460 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likely died .
However in its own report to the Pentagon , the US has conceded just 22 civilian deaths for the year across Iraq and Syria , in eleven events .
The Defense Department ’ s report reveals other worrying trends .
Of the 21 historical cases officially conceded from US actions for 2017 over the past year , 18 had been Airwars referrals .
Yet every single allegation referred by Airwars to the Coalition for both 2018 and 2019 was rejected – amounting to many hundreds of dismissed local claims .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the apparent move by the US-led Coalition away from engaging with external sources marks a backward step , which the organisation plans to take up with both Congress and DoD officials .
“ Almost all of the deaths conceded by the US in Iraq and Syria for 2019 represented self referrals from pilots and analysts , with external sources cited on only three occasions .
Many hundreds of civilian deaths which were credibly reported by local communities appear to have been ignored , ” says Woods .
“ This goes against the Pentagon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with external NGOs including monitors , and we will be asking for an urgent explanation from officials of this apparent backward step.
” The Pentagon ’ s latest report to Congress also brings further clarity to a controversial June 2017 Coalition attack in Mosul , Iraq which killed 35 members of the same extended family – including 14 children , nine women and two respected imams .
In January 2019 the Australian Defence Force ( ADF ) accepted responsibility for some of those deaths – confirming that a strike by one of its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ civilians .
However the ADF also made clear that there was a second attack on the location by another Coalition ally that day – the identity of which was until now not known .
It its May 6th report to Congress , the Pentagon revealed that US aircraft conducted that second strike , additionally killing at least 11 civilians at the scene .
In February 2019 , surviving family elder Engineer Amjad al-Saffar told the Sydney Morning Herald : “ The level of accuracy of the bombing had always indicated to us that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Iraqi forces , because the house was targeted twice at the same point without any damage to the neighbouring building , and with very high accuracy.
” Other than this one case , the Pentagon ’ s report to Congress also revealed that all civilian harm events conceded by the US-led Coalition for Iraq and Syria over the past 12 months had been caused by US forces .
This contrasted with the previous report – which had inadvertently ‘ outed ’ fourteen strikes by America ’ s European allies which according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 40 civilians – but which the UK , France and Belgium refused to acknowledge .
It remains unclear whether the Coalition ’ s civilian casualty cell has now ceased assessments of claims against other nations within the alliance .
Two more civilian deaths from US actions in Somalia were officially conceded on April 27th , as US Africa Command issued its first ever quarterly civilian casualty report .
Those same deaths were also reported to Congress two weeks later .
The newly admitted event – which according to local reports involved the death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the injuring of at least three more civilians – relates to a US strike on the al Shabaab-occupied town of Kunyo Barrow on February 23rd 2019 .
AFRICOM had originally dismissed the claim .
But it reopened an assessment after Airwars submitted a detailed dossier on the incident in January 2020 , including what were believed to be precise coordinates for where casualties took place .
The latest admission has doubled both the number of cases and deaths publicly admitted by AFRICOM , during its sometimes controversial 13-year campaign to defeat the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those four deaths remain dwarfed by Airwars ’ own current estimate of at least 70 civilians killed in 29 separate US actions in Somalia since 2007 .
The US military ’ s campaign in Somalia has intensified significantly under President Donald Trump , with at least 186 declared actions since 2017 – more than four times the number of strikes officially carried out by the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations combined .
Local civilian harm claims have also intensified under Trump , with as many as 157 non combatant deaths locally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had routinely denied any civilian harm from its actions in Somalia – leading to complaints of poor accountability .
In April 2019 , AFRICOM conceded its first civilian casualty event – though also had to admit to misleading Congress on the issue .
Three months later , General Stephen Townsend took command .
When previously head of the US-led Coalition against ISIS in Iraq and Syria , Townsend had overseen key transparency reforms including the publishing of regular civilian harm reports ; and routine engagement with external casualty monitors such as Airwars .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ implemented at AFRICOM .

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 on Civilian Casualties In Connection With United
States Military Operations is the third such public declaration, mandated in law by Congress since 2018.
According to the report – which included details of continuing Pentagon efforts to improve both accountability and transparency for civilian harm – “U.S. forces also protect civilians because it is the moral and ethical thing to do. Although civilian casualties are a tragic and unavoidable part of war, the U.S. military is steadfastly committed to limiting harm to civilians.”
During 2019, the majority of declared civilian deaths from US actions took place in Afghanistan. According to the Pentagon, 108 civilians were killed and 75 injured in 57 incidents. Fourteen of those events involved US ground forces.
That casualty tally represented a significant undercount according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), which has been comprehensively monitoring civilian deaths from all parties for more than a decade. According to UNAMA’s own Annual Report, at least 559 civilians were killed and 786 injured by international military actions during 2019 – almost all by airstrikes.
Iraq and Syria: ‘backward step’
Officially confirmed civilian deaths from US actions in Iraq and Syria fell steeply – down from 832 fatalities declared to Congress last year, to 101 deaths conceded in the latest report.
That sharp reduction was partly expected, given the significant reduction in battle tempo following the bloody capture of both Mosul and Raqqa in 2017. However, in early 2019 very significant civilian fatalities were locally alleged from Coalition air and artillery strikes during the final stages of the war – only a fraction of which have been admitted.
Of the 73 known civilian harm claims against the US-led Coalition during 2019, Airwars presently estimates that at least 460 and as many as 1,100 non combatants likely died. However in its own report to the Pentagon, the US has conceded just 22 civilian deaths for the year across Iraq and Syria, in eleven events.
The Defense Department’s report reveals other worrying trends. Of the 21 historical cases officially conceded from US actions for 2017 over the past year, 18 had been Airwars referrals. Yet every single allegation referred by Airwars to the Coalition for both 2018 and 2019 was rejected – amounting to many hundreds of dismissed local claims.
According to Airwars director Chris Woods, the apparent move by the US-led Coalition away from engaging with external sources marks a backward step, which the organisation plans to take up with both Congress and DoD officials.
“Almost all of the deaths conceded by the US in Iraq and Syria for 2019 represented self referrals from pilots and analysts, with external sources cited on only three occasions. Many hundreds of civilian deaths which were credibly reported by local communities appear to have been ignored,” says Woods. “This goes against the Pentagon’s repeated promise to engage better with external NGOs including monitors, and we will be asking for an urgent explanation from officials of this apparent backward step.”
Mosul mystery resolved
The Pentagon’s latest report to Congress also brings further clarity to a controversial June 2017 Coalition attack in Mosul, Iraq which killed 35 members of the same extended family – including 14 children, nine women and two respected imams.
In January 2019 the Australian Defence Force (ADF) accepted responsibility for some of those deaths – confirming that a strike by one of its aircraft had killed between 6 and 18 civilians.
However the ADF also made clear that there was a second attack on the location by another Coalition ally that day – the identity of which was until now not known.
It its May 6th report to Congress, the Pentagon revealed that US aircraft conducted that second strike, additionally killing at least 11 civilians at the scene.
In February 2019, surviving family elder Engineer Amjad al-Saffar told the Sydney Morning Herald: “The level of accuracy of the bombing had always indicated to us that the attack couldn’t have been by Iraqi forces, because the house was targeted twice at the same point without any damage to the neighbouring building, and with very high accuracy.”
Asked to comment from Mosul on the Pentagon’s recent admission that its aircraft too had played a role in the mass casualty event, Engineer Amjad told Airwars: “As a well known and respected Mosul family, we feel both very sad and disappointed to learn of the US’s confession – three years after our catastrophe.- of their own role in an airstrike which killed so many. Along with Australia we hold the US fully responsible for our heavy loss of 35 family members, and demand both an apology and financial compensation.”
Other than this one case, the Pentagon’s report to Congress also revealed that all civilian harm events conceded by the US-led Coalition for Iraq and Syria over the past 12 months had been caused by US forces.
This contrasted with the previous report – which had inadvertently ‘outed’ fourteen strikes by America’s European allies which according to the Coalition itself had killed at least 40 civilians – but which the UK, France and Belgium refused to acknowledge. It remains unclear whether the Coalition’s civilian casualty cell has now ceased assessments of claims against other nations within the alliance.
One new Somalia event admitted
Two more civilian deaths from US actions in Somalia were officially conceded on April 27th, as US Africa Command issued its first ever quarterly civilian casualty report. Those same deaths were also reported to Congress two weeks later.
The newly admitted event – which according to local reports involved the death of a father and his child, and the injuring of at least three more civilians – relates to a US strike on the al Shabaab-occupied town of Kunyo Barrow on February 23rd 2019. AFRICOM had originally dismissed the claim. But it reopened an assessment after Airwars submitted a detailed dossier on the incident in January 2020, including what were believed to be precise coordinates for where casualties took place.
The latest admission has doubled both the number of cases and deaths publicly admitted by AFRICOM, during its sometimes controversial 13-year campaign to defeat the regional terror group al Shabaab. However those four deaths remain dwarfed by Airwars’ own current estimate of at least 70 civilians killed in 29 separate US actions in Somalia since 2007.
The US military’s campaign in Somalia has intensified significantly under President Donald Trump, with at least 186 declared actions since 2017 – more than four times the number of strikes officially carried out by the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations combined. Local civilian harm claims have also intensified under Trump, with as many as 157 non combatant deaths locally claimed to date.
Until recently AFRICOM had routinely denied any civilian harm from its actions in Somalia – leading to complaints of poor accountability. In April 2019, AFRICOM conceded its first civilian casualty event – though also had to admit to misleading Congress on the issue. Three months later, General Stephen Townsend took command.
When previously head of the US-led Coalition against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, Townsend had overseen key transparency reforms including the publishing of regular civilian harm reports; and routine engagement with external casualty monitors such as Airwars. Those same key reforms are now being implemented at AFRICOM.


airwars--2020-05-26--Marking UN Protection of Civilians Week, Airwars and Rectangle livecast names of thousands harmed in

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 has a story Over twenty-four hours starting at midnight London time on May 26th/27th – the date of the UN Secretary General ’ s annual Protection of Civilians ( PoC ) speech – the names of just some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ air and artillery strikes in Iraq , Syria , Libya and Somalia since 2007 will be livestreamed on our website and YouTube channel .
Khaled Mustafa Qurmo and Khaled Abdel Majid were about to drop off their friend Barakat Barakat at his home in October 2019 .
The three friends were eating pumpkin seeds while driving through Barisha in northwestern Syria when they were reportedly hit by helicopters searching for ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi .
“ There were so many shells falling on us , it was like rain .
My @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s head , got cut off , ” Barakat explained to NPR last year .
“ Am I Baghdadi ?
How is this my fault ?
I ’ m just a civilian .
I didn ’ t have any weapons .
We ’ re farmers .
I make less than a dollar a day .
Now I ’ m handicapped , and my two friends are in their graves.
” Barakat Barakat is just one of 8,337 civilian casualties over the past 13 years whose names Airwars has recorded while monitoring conflicts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Somalia .
Through its daily monitoring of local news organisations , social media and official sources , as well as via sources on the ground , Airwars has in total recorded over 119,000 reported civilian deaths and injuries since we began documenting conflicts in August 2014 – of which more than eight thousand casualties attributed to specific belligerents can presently be named .
This UN PoC Week , Airwars aims to commemorate those who have lost their lives , while calling for governments to better account for their military actions .
The project @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Scottish-American design team Rectangle , who also produce the complex mapping and data representations on the Airwars website .
This week ’ s live cast is based on an original installation by Rectangle with Sophie Dyer , first shown in Detroit in March 2019 .
It had been hoped to show Conflicting Truth in New York during this year ’ s UN PoC Week .
Instead , due to the Covid-19 crisis , the decision was taken to livecast a digital version .
The Airwars/ Rectangle project seeks to show that those killed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statistics – they are people with names , friends and families .
Their loss inflicts severe pain on relatives , and the communities they belong to .
“ I was washing dishes .
Suddenly our house was filled with shrapnel .
I went out and called Arif ( my son ) , but I did not see him .
I only saw black smoke .
When the smoke faded away , I saw my son on the ground as a martyr , ” said a mother whose son Arif was among eight other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Tal Rifaat in Syria on December 2nd , 2019 .
The suffering often does not end with losing loved ones or seeing them disabled : it also heavily impacts the lives of those spared by the fighting .
“ All a young man like me cares about now is how he gets home safe every day .
Or when you go to bed , all you ’ re thinking about is the possibility that a rocket falls on you , ” Marwan , a resident of the southern suburbs of the Libyan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I lost friends , relatives , loved ones in this war , ” he elaborates .
“ I ’ m doing an MA now , and I ’ m afraid to lose my dream , and my future and I can ’ t do anything .
That makes me want to run away , to live a decent life with equal opportunities.
” Airwars aims to add as many biographical details of victims as possible .
On May 16th of this year for example , the 5-year-old Bangladeshi boy Wahi Zuhair Matin was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Al Fornaj neighbourhood in Tripoli .
The GNA-affiliated Burkan Al Ghadab Operation wrote on Facebook that the child ’ s “ ambition was to buy a bike and play ‘ like the kids ’ .
” Airwars is also joining with other international partners and organisations in a Civil Society Call for Action to Protect Civilians during PoC week .
The joint statement signed by 22 organisations calls on the UN Security Council , Member States , and the UN System to take urgent , bold and practical steps to respond to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ civilians in armed conflict .
The UN Security Council added the protection of civilians in armed conflict ( PoC ) to its agenda in 1999 , recognising PoC as a matter of international peace and security .
The UN PoC Week is held annually between May 27th and June 1st .
The United Nations celebrates UN Peacekeeping Day on May 29th .

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 has a story
Over twenty-four hours starting at midnight London time on May 26th/27th – the date of the UN Secretary General’s annual Protection of Civilians (PoC) speech – the names of just some of the many civilians reportedly killed by air and artillery strikes in Iraq, Syria, Libya and Somalia since 2007 will be livestreamed on our website and YouTube channel.
Khaled Mustafa Qurmo and Khaled Abdel Majid were about to drop off their friend Barakat Barakat at his home in October 2019. The three friends were eating pumpkin seeds while driving through Barisha in northwestern Syria when they were reportedly hit by helicopters searching for ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi.
“There were so many shells falling on us, it was like rain. My hand, the one holding up Khaled’s head, got cut off,” Barakat explained to NPR last year. “Am I Baghdadi? How is this my fault? I’m just a civilian. I didn’t have any weapons. We’re farmers. I make less than a dollar a day. Now I’m handicapped, and my two friends are in their graves.”
Barakat Barakat is just one of 8,337 civilian casualties over the past 13 years whose names Airwars has recorded while monitoring conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Somalia.
UN Protection of Civilians Week 2020
Through its daily monitoring of local news organisations, social media and official sources, as well as via sources on the ground, Airwars has in total recorded over 119,000 reported civilian deaths and injuries since we began documenting conflicts in August 2014 – of which more than eight thousand casualties attributed to specific belligerents can presently be named.
This UN PoC Week, Airwars aims to commemorate those who have lost their lives, while calling for governments to better account for their military actions.
The project Conflicting Truth is in partnership with the Scottish-American design team Rectangle, who also produce the complex mapping and data representations on the Airwars website.
This week’s live cast is based on an original installation by Rectangle with Sophie Dyer, first shown in Detroit in March 2019. It had been hoped to show Conflicting Truth in New York during this year’s UN PoC Week. Instead, due to the Covid-19 crisis, the decision was taken to livecast a digital version.
Not just numbers
The Airwars/ Rectangle project seeks to show that those killed and injured in conflict are not mere statistics – they are people with names, friends and families. Their loss inflicts severe pain on relatives, and the communities they belong to.
“I was washing dishes. Suddenly our house was filled with shrapnel. I went out and called Arif (my son), but I did not see him. I only saw black smoke. When the smoke faded away, I saw my son on the ground as a martyr,” said a mother whose son Arif was among eight other children reportedly killed in alleged Turkish shelling on Tal Rifaat in Syria on December 2nd, 2019.
The suffering often does not end with losing loved ones or seeing them disabled: it also heavily impacts the lives of those spared by the fighting. “All a young man like me cares about now is how he gets home safe every day. Or when you go to bed, all you’re thinking about is the possibility that a rocket falls on you,” Marwan, a resident of the southern suburbs of the Libyan capital Tripoli recently told Airwars. “I lost friends, relatives, loved ones in this war,” he elaborates. “I’m doing an MA now, and I’m afraid to lose my dream, and my future and I can’t do anything. That makes me want to run away, to live a decent life with equal opportunities.”
Airwars aims to add as many biographical details of victims as possible. On May 16th of this year for example, the 5-year-old Bangladeshi boy Wahi Zuhair Matin was killed in alleged LNA artillery strikes on Al Fornaj neighbourhood in Tripoli. The GNA-affiliated Burkan Al Ghadab Operation wrote on Facebook that the child’s “ambition was to buy a bike and play ‘like the kids’.”
Civil Society Call for Action
Airwars is also joining with other international partners and organisations in a Civil Society Call for Action to Protect Civilians during PoC week. The joint statement signed by 22 organisations calls on the UN Security Council, Member States, and the UN System to take urgent, bold and practical steps to respond to the challenges that remain in the protection of civilians in armed conflict.
The UN Security Council added the protection of civilians in armed conflict (PoC) to its agenda in 1999, recognising PoC as a matter of international peace and security. The UN PoC Week is held annually between May 27th and June 1st. The United Nations celebrates UN Peacekeeping Day on May 29th.


airwars--2020-06-08--In lightning advance, GNA reverses 14 months of Haftar’s Libya gains

Civilians return to shattered homes littered with IEDs and unexploded ordnance 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 National Accord ( GNA ) and its Turkish backers .
In mid-January things had looked very bleak indeed for Tripoli ’ s GNA .
General Khalifa Haftar ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city the GNA had symbolically taken from ISIS with US support back in 2016 .
Haftar ’ s opposition Libyan National Army was slowly tightening its grip on Tripoli ’ s suburbs ; and it looked like an equally bloody and destructive battle for Benghazi could be looming .
However a ceasefire deal between Turkey and Russia came to the rescue of the GNA alliance – still more resembling a loose coalition of militias than a national government .
Turkey used that ceasefire to smuggle drones and advanced air defences into the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in blatant violation of the UN arms embargo .
These turned out to be a game changer , given that the United Arab Emirates and Russia , the LNA ’ s strongest backers , were either unwilling or incapable of matching Turkey ’ s support .
The LNA quickly lost its air superiority in early February and later also its air defences , as Turkish drones took out several state-of-the-art Russian Pantsir anti-air systems .
How was the LNA ’ s previous air superiority so quickly dismantled ?
“ First , the Pantsirs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ handed over to LNA crews who were under-trained and ineffective .
And strong electronic warfare , most likely with a KORAL system , by the Turkish , ” explains Oded Berkowitz , an analyst at MAX Security .
Despite repeated reports of the UAE flying in supplies to Benghazi , the LNA quickly found itself on the ropes .
Its most significant loss was that of the Al Watiyah air base close to the Tunisian border on May 18th .
Al Watiyah is not only a proper military air base , as opposed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for civilian purposes – it also gives Turkey a potential foothold in northern Africa , enabling it to station aircraft there .
After the loss of Al Watiyah in late May , events moved quickly .
In the first week of June the GNA completed their rout of Haftar ’ s forces with the capture of Tripoli International Airport and Qasr Bin Gashir – finally breaking a fifteen month siege of the capital .
Meanwhile , Russian mercenaries with the Wagner Group were reported to have abandoned Haftar ’ s forces , allegedly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wake .
According to the GNA Ministry of Interior , 25 members of its demining teams had been killed between May 21st and June 4th .
Surprisingly , despite the withdrawal of the Wagner mercenaries , Haftar ’ s forces had received up to 14 Russian fighter jets as reported by US Africa Command in a bellicose public statement .
A UN source told Airwars that some of these planes were supplied from Belarus via Russia and on to Syria , where with the addition of some old Syrian air force jets they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shadowed by the US military .
The intervention by Russia so far has been limited and less overt compared to Syria , and may have been intended as a show of strength to keep the GNA from moving into the southwestern Fezzan and Cyrenaica in the East .
Russia ’ s decision to supply attack aircraft to the LNA may also have tipped the United States into overtly backing the UN-backed GNA for the first time in several years .
Haftar ’ s last bastion near Tripoli was Tarhuna , some 65km southeast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ repeatedly shelled the city in recent weeks and many expected a bloodbath as Tarhuna – historically loyal to the Gaddafi regime – had sided with Haftar through its local Kaniyat Brigade .
However instead of fighting , LNA forces chaotically withdrew .
Images circulating on social media show the full extent of arms embargo breaches in Libya in recent years , with Russian helicopters and tanks , Chinese MANPADS and anti-UAV guns as well as Serbian mortar shells among the discoveries , earning the nickname of “ biggest arms convention in the world.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ LNA ’ s fourteen month failed Tripoli offensive can only be described as devastating .
Airwars has found that 60 % of all reported civilian harm from air and artillery strikes since 2012 occurred since April 4th 2019 .
Prior to the siege , Airwars had recorded a minimum of 298 civilian deaths , while another 439 have been reported over the past 14 months .
Some 276 of those deaths have either been attributed to the LNA or to its allies , while 87 civilian deaths were allegedly caused by the GNA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the rise , with civilian harm from GNA and Turkish actions now escalating as they gain the upper hand .
But it is not only airstrikes that pose a grave threat to civilians .
The LNA and its Wagner allies left behind a substantial amount of mines , IEDs and unexploded ordnance .
One of the many civilian victims is Saleh , brother of former Airwars Libya Researcher Osama Mansour , who was injured when checking on the family home in the south of Tripoli .
“ My brother got there by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to our house the neighbour removed a branch of a tree and a mine went off .
My brother was hit in the neck and the teeth , lost a lot of blood as well and was unconscious for a couple of minutes , ” Osama tells us .
“ The neighbour lost more blood and has been in surgery twice already , and they still need to remove two pieces of shrapnel from his liver , ” he adds .
The event is one of many in south Tripoli , with civilians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gives us a very insecure feeling to go back after all the incidents , ” Osama says .
Besides military mistakes , old grievances and retaliation may soon play a role as well : “ There are legitimate concerns about abuses by GNA forces against civilians in newly captured territory .
However , GNA officials are mindful of these concerns and they ’ ll be working to avoid such abuses , ” claims Mohamed Eljarh , a well-connected Libya independent analyst .
So far , it seems the UN-backed government is struggling to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reports of looting and damage to properties emerging over the weekend .
When GNA forces took Tarhuna from the LNA they also uncovered 106 dead bodies , including children and women , in a hospital morgue .
Some had allegedly been executed with shots to the head , though so far the exact circumstances of the deaths are unclear .
Although the routing of the LNA marks Libya ’ s biggest military turning point in several years , the future remains unclear .
While the GNA presently has the upper hand , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up of ideologically diverse militias united by a common enemy and now strengthened by Turkey ’ s intervention .
Tensions are likely to arise within the GNA as the shaky coalition adapts to holding more power and territory .
In terms of military goals Mohammed Eljarh says he expects that “ Turkey and the GNA will continue to expand their territorial control .
Control of key oil facilities in the southwest in particular will be high on the agenda .
The GNA is trying to restart some of the oil production from al-Sharara @ @ @ @ @ @ @ GNA ’ s territorial ambitions go also depends on the LNA ’ s international backers , as Wolfram Lacher from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs explains : “ At a minimum , GNA-aligned forces will seek to ensure that Haftar loyalists can no longer use Bani Walid [ 160km south of Tripoli ] as a logistics hub .
But it is likely that they will now attempt an offensive on Sirte or Jufra.
” Yet initial attempts by the GNA to take Sirte have failed – met with staunch resistance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and suggesting the LNA and its backers may seek to draw a line at Gaddafi ’ s birthplace .
Following these newly established facts on the ground , both parties have now agreed to resume the stalled 5+5 talks in Geneva , UNSMIL announced on June 2nd .
Haftar has reportedly lost major support from his international backers , especially Egypt .
President Sisi brought Aguila Saleh , President of the House of Representatives in Tobruk , and Khalifa Haftar to the table and announced a ceasefire on June 6th .
That agreement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Only if Russian and Emirati intervention stops the GNA offensives could we see growing calls for negotiations within the GNA coalition , ” Lacher says .
Perhaps ominously , a day later Egypt was reported to have deployed M1A2 Abrams tanks to the Libyan border .
The UAE for now remains Haftar ’ s strongest backer , while Russia seems keen to at least hold a stake in Libya , as the recent delivery of fighter planes shows .
But that move may backfire – with the US now overtly resisting Russian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the UAE to the negotiating table .
“ Haftar ’ s defeat in western Libya will have wide-ranging implications for his coalition .
Many who supported him because they hoped to sweep to power with him will now reconsider their allegiances , ” Lacher asserts .
“ The same goes for his adversaries , among whom Haftar ’ s offensive had served as a unifying threat and kept distrust and rivalries among them in check.
” It currently seems unlikely that either side can control all of Libya .
And distrust between rival @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , making a ceasefire deal unlikely .
The amount of weapons discovered around Tripoli also serves as an indicator that Libya ’ s on-and-off civil war , now in its tenth year , could still be far from over .

Civilians return to shattered homes littered with IEDs and unexploded ordnance
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 National Accord (GNA) and its Turkish backers.
In mid-January things had looked very bleak indeed for Tripoli’s GNA. General Khalifa Haftar’s forces had just seized Sirte, the city the GNA had symbolically taken from ISIS with US support back in 2016. Haftar’s opposition Libyan National Army was slowly tightening its grip on Tripoli’s suburbs; and it looked like an equally bloody and destructive battle for Benghazi could be looming.
However a ceasefire deal between Turkey and Russia came to the rescue of the GNA alliance – still more resembling a loose coalition of militias than a national government.
Turkey used that ceasefire to smuggle drones and advanced air defences into the country, as well as Syrian mercenaries, in blatant violation of the UN arms embargo. These turned out to be a game changer, given that the United Arab Emirates and Russia, the LNA’s strongest backers, were either unwilling or incapable of matching Turkey’s support. The LNA quickly lost its air superiority in early February and later also its air defences, as Turkish drones took out several state-of-the-art Russian Pantsir anti-air systems.
How was the LNA’s previous air superiority so quickly dismantled? “First, the Pantsirs being – at least in part – handed over to LNA crews who were under-trained and ineffective. And strong electronic warfare, most likely with a KORAL system, by the Turkish,” explains Oded Berkowitz, an analyst at MAX Security.
#Libya– and another video via @libyaalahrartv showing 2 Pantsir S-1/SA-22 Greyhound destroyed in #Tarhuna. Note how at the start of the video they're just sitting ideally by each other with the radar on… pic.twitter.com/pZAVEVePGr — Oded Berkowitz (@Oded121351) May 20, 2020
Despite repeated reports of the UAE flying in supplies to Benghazi, the LNA quickly found itself on the ropes. Its most significant loss was that of the Al Watiyah air base close to the Tunisian border on May 18th. Al Watiyah is not only a proper military air base, as opposed to Mitiga airport which is also used for civilian purposes – it also gives Turkey a potential foothold in northern Africa, enabling it to station aircraft there.
After the loss of Al Watiyah in late May, events moved quickly. In the first week of June the GNA completed their rout of Haftar’s forces with the capture of Tripoli International Airport and Qasr Bin Gashir – finally breaking a fifteen month siege of the capital. Meanwhile, Russian mercenaries with the Wagner Group were reported to have abandoned Haftar’s forces, allegedly leaving booby traps and mines in their wake. According to the GNA Ministry of Interior, 25 members of its demining teams had been killed between May 21st and June 4th.
An alleged Teddy Bear IED left behind by LNA/#Wagner in #Tripoli. As horrible as this is, several points about this of note: Serbian M62P10 HE 120mm mortar bomb (Lot 01 of 2019, clear export violation), Russian MUV-4 fuze & a Russian semtex block initiator. Just screams Wagner. pic.twitter.com/a61g724w4y — Cᴀʟɪʙʀᴇ Oʙsᴄᴜʀᴀ (@CalibreObscura) June 4, 2020
Surprisingly, despite the withdrawal of the Wagner mercenaries, Haftar’s forces had received up to 14 Russian fighter jets as reported by US Africa Command in a bellicose public statement. A UN source told Airwars that some of these planes were supplied from Belarus via Russia and on to Syria, where with the addition of some old Syrian air force jets they were transited to Libya – by now shadowed by the US military.
The intervention by Russia so far has been limited and less overt compared to Syria, and may have been intended as a show of strength to keep the GNA from moving into the southwestern Fezzan and Cyrenaica in the East. Russia’s decision to supply attack aircraft to the LNA may also have tipped the United States into overtly backing the UN-backed GNA for the first time in several years.
Haftar’s last bastion near Tripoli was Tarhuna, some 65km southeast of the capital. GNA forces had repeatedly shelled the city in recent weeks and many expected a bloodbath as Tarhuna – historically loyal to the Gaddafi regime – had sided with Haftar through its local Kaniyat Brigade. However instead of fighting, LNA forces chaotically withdrew. Images circulating on social media show the full extent of arms embargo breaches in Libya in recent years, with Russian helicopters and tanks, Chinese MANPADS and anti-UAV guns as well as Serbian mortar shells among the discoveries, earning the nickname of “biggest arms convention in the world.”
#Tripoli: last one for the day, GNA-aligned forces towing an #LAAF helicopter (Mi35) captured near Fom Melgha, at the outskirts of #Tarhuna Pretty sure no driving test prepares you for this… pic.twitter.com/ywVPxDcWgo — Emadeddin Badi (@emad_badi) June 4, 2020
Civilians suffer once again
The impact on civilians of the LNA’s fourteen month failed Tripoli offensive can only be described as devastating. Airwars has found that 60% of all reported civilian harm from air and artillery strikes since 2012 occurred since April 4th 2019.
Prior to the siege, Airwars had recorded a minimum of 298 civilian deaths, while another 439 have been reported over the past 14 months. Some 276 of those deaths have either been attributed to the LNA or to its allies, while 87 civilian deaths were allegedly caused by the GNA and Turkey. The latter number is on the rise, with civilian harm from GNA and Turkish actions now escalating as they gain the upper hand.
But it is not only airstrikes that pose a grave threat to civilians. The LNA and its Wagner allies left behind a substantial amount of mines, IEDs and unexploded ordnance. One of the many civilian victims is Saleh, brother of former Airwars Libya Researcher Osama Mansour, who was injured when checking on the family home in the south of Tripoli.
“My brother got there by car, when he wanted to go to our house the neighbour removed a branch of a tree and a mine went off. My brother was hit in the neck and the teeth, lost a lot of blood as well and was unconscious for a couple of minutes,” Osama tells us. “The neighbour lost more blood and has been in surgery twice already, and they still need to remove two pieces of shrapnel from his liver,” he adds. The event is one of many in south Tripoli, with civilians killed or badly injured. “It gives us a very insecure feeling to go back after all the incidents,” Osama says.
Besides military mistakes, old grievances and retaliation may soon play a role as well: “There are legitimate concerns about abuses by GNA forces against civilians in newly captured territory. However, GNA officials are mindful of these concerns and they’ll be working to avoid such abuses,” claims Mohamed Eljarh, a well-connected Libya independent analyst. So far, it seems the UN-backed government is struggling to keep the situation under control, with reports of looting and damage to properties emerging over the weekend.
When GNA forces took Tarhuna from the LNA they also uncovered 106 dead bodies, including children and women, in a hospital morgue. Some had allegedly been executed with shots to the head, though so far the exact circumstances of the deaths are unclear.
Future prospects
Although the routing of the LNA marks Libya’s biggest military turning point in several years, the future remains unclear. While the GNA presently has the upper hand, it remains a coalition of necessity – made up of ideologically diverse militias united by a common enemy and now strengthened by Turkey’s intervention. Tensions are likely to arise within the GNA as the shaky coalition adapts to holding more power and territory.
In terms of military goals Mohammed Eljarh says he expects that “Turkey and the GNA will continue to expand their territorial control. Control of key oil facilities in the southwest in particular will be high on the agenda. The GNA is trying to restart some of the oil production from al-Sharara and al-Feel oilfields.”
How far the GNA’s territorial ambitions go also depends on the LNA’s international backers, as Wolfram Lacher from the German Institute for International and Security Affairs explains: “At a minimum, GNA-aligned forces will seek to ensure that Haftar loyalists can no longer use Bani Walid [160km south of Tripoli] as a logistics hub. But it is likely that they will now attempt an offensive on Sirte or Jufra.”
Yet initial attempts by the GNA to take Sirte have failed – met with staunch resistance and airstrikes from pro-LNA fighter jets, and suggesting the LNA and its backers may seek to draw a line at Gaddafi’s birthplace.
Following these newly established facts on the ground, both parties have now agreed to resume the stalled 5+5 talks in Geneva, UNSMIL announced on June 2nd. Haftar has reportedly lost major support from his international backers, especially Egypt. President Sisi brought Aguila Saleh, President of the House of Representatives in Tobruk, and Khalifa Haftar to the table and announced a ceasefire on June 6th. That agreement was then rejected by the GNA. “Only if Russian and Emirati intervention stops the GNA offensives could we see growing calls for negotiations within the GNA coalition,” Lacher says. Perhaps ominously, a day later Egypt was reported to have deployed M1A2 Abrams tanks to the Libyan border.
The UAE for now remains Haftar’s strongest backer, while Russia seems keen to at least hold a stake in Libya, as the recent delivery of fighter planes shows. But that move may backfire – with the US now overtly resisting Russian adventurism in north Africa, while pressuring the UAE to the negotiating table.
Had an important conversation with Emirati Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on increasing regional stability and supporting a lasting @UN-brokered ceasefire in Libya. Grateful for our strong partnership in combatting the global COVID-19 pandemic. — Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) June 4, 2020
“Haftar’s defeat in western Libya will have wide-ranging implications for his coalition. Many who supported him because they hoped to sweep to power with him will now reconsider their allegiances,” Lacher asserts. “The same goes for his adversaries, among whom Haftar’s offensive had served as a unifying threat and kept distrust and rivalries among them in check.”
It currently seems unlikely that either side can control all of Libya. And distrust between rival leaders has been high in the past, making a ceasefire deal unlikely. The amount of weapons discovered around Tripoli also serves as an indicator that Libya’s on-and-off civil war, now in its tenth year, could still be far from over.