Monitor
Airwars closely monitors conflicts, to help improve understanding of how recent wars have impacted on civilians. Our regional researchers track local civilian harm allegations from news outlets and social media, with a present focus on Iraq, Syria and Libya. Other sources we monitor include international and local civic society groups; military reporting; and claims by non-state actors. Together, our monitoring helps reveal what civilians themselves are experiencing during times of war.
Assess
Airwars assesses each civilian harm incident to determine who was allegedly killed or injured, and by which belligerent. As a transparency organisation, we archive every known source, including associated imagery. All assessments are published in our growing civilian casualties database, alongside the names of thousands of reported victims. Since we began in 2014, we have tracked and assessed tens of thousands of reported civilian deaths in conflicts.
Engage
Our primary aim at Airwars is to help reduce harm to civilians. We do this both by improving public knowledge of how battlefield casualties occur; and by working where we can with militaries – helping them to improve their own understanding and admission of where, when and how civilians are harmed. Our advocacy team also engages with politicians and with broader civic society, to ensure civilian harm issues are given the highest priority.
Investigate
Airwars works closely with journalists and researchers in the field - helping them to better identify reported civilian harm claims. And we also incorporate their findings into our own research - ensuring we build up as comprehensive a picture of battlefield casualties as we can. Through partnerships with major news organisations, our investigators have also published numerous in-depth reports on civilian harm - which in turn can help change public and political understanding.
Civilian casualties archive
Victim in focus
Basmala Jahjah was allegedly killed by a US-led Coalition strike on September 23rd, 2014 in Kafr Daryan, Syria.
Basmala Jahjah likely died alongside her brother, mother and father when the house they were in was destroyed. The incident was reported by multiple local sources that included eyewitness accounts. CENTCOM maintains that the US-led Coalition was not responsible for the deaths, claiming the images were from an earlier Syrian Regime attack.
Dec 12th18th: France reports that its Task Force Wagram carried out 24 artillery "shooting missions". There were also 5 airstrikes in the Hajin region of Syria. [No official word yet from Paris on whether its strikes will continue after the US withdrawal] https://t.co/PT3wJgqQSU pic.twitter.com/MZHza8Crr9
— Airwars (@airwars) December 21, 2018
In its latest report, UK's Ministry of Defence announces it struck almost 80 ISIS targets at Hajin in past month. Perhaps optimisitcally given claims of US strikes in Syria ending, @DefenceHQ insists "White House made clear" that the Coalition campaign against ISIS is not ending. https://t.co/4gkIeKtKYr
— Airwars (@airwars) December 20, 2018
MAJOR: Only yesterday, Pentagon was spinning that airstrikes would continue in Syria even after ground troops left. There has still been no comment from British, French and Dutch on whether their own strikes will continue in Syria - tho NL is anyway scheduled to cease December 31 https://t.co/VigIrLuOYc
— Airwars (@airwars) December 20, 2018
“يونيسف” تقدر حجم الخسائر بين الأطفال السوريين https://t.co/Yv7pDzkqby via @enabbaladi
— الحروب الجوية (@AirwarsArabic) December 14, 2018