Airwars update: international airstrikes and civilian casualty claims in Iraq and Syria - April 2017

Civilians continued to pay a lethal price in April from the Coalition-backed campaigns to liberate both West Mosul and Raqqa, according to the latest monthly Airwars analysis.

The volume of casualty incidents remained high, with 159 claimed events tracked across Iraq and Syria. However estimated likely deaths fell by 46% – mainly in the absence of March’s mass casualty incidents.

Nevertheless, between 283 and 366 civilians likely died in Coalition actions across Iraq and Syria according to our provisional assessment, making April the second worst month for civilian fatalities since Coalition actions began in August 2014.

The unprecedented recent toll meant that for the fourth consecutive month, civilian casualty incidents attributed to the Coalition in Iraq and Syria outweighed those reportedly involving Moscow in Syria. This higher number in April was only marginal, however After three months of scaled-back actions, Russia’s often brutal air campaign was once again building momentum, and casualty events increased by 36% from March. Ordinary Iraqis and Syrians remained in extreme danger from airstrikes by all belligerents. 

“With three full months of airstrike and civilian casualty data from Donald Trump’s presidency, we are now seeing the emergence of clear trends,” says Director of Airwars Chris Woods.

“Around Raqqa in particular – where most strikes are by the US – we are seeing high civilian casualties where six months ago we would not. This is the clearest evidence yet that protections for civilians on the battlefield appear to have been scaled back – with the inevitable consequence of higher deaths and injuries. As the battle for Raqqa itself approaches, we therefore remain extremely concerned for the fate of hundreds of thousands of civilians still trapped within the city.”

See our full report on Russian and Coalition actions in Iraq and Syria here



MAIN PICTURE: The house of Bashir Yusuf Sultan, where five family members died in a reported Coalition strike on April 7th 2017 (via Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently)

CONTACTS:

Chris Woods (London) +44 (0)270 296 4242 chriswoods@airwars.org
Alex Hopkins (London) +44 (0)270 296 4242 alexhopkins@airwars.org
Eline Westra (Amsterdam) +31 (0)6 422 16456 elinewestra@airwars.org
Samuel Oakford (New York) +1 (917) 301 5293 samueloakford@airwars.org