The American-led coalition in Iraq has significantly underreported the amount of civilian deaths that occurred as a result of airstrikes in the fight against the Islamic State, The New York Times Magazine reported Thursday. The investigation, which the magazine said was "the first systematic, ground-based sample of airstrikes in Iraq" since 2014, found that the rate of civilian death is 31 times higher than what the coalition has reported. That means that approximately 1 in 5 airstrikes results in the death of civilians, the magazine noted.
The coalition's internal reporting process relies mostly on video analysis and internal records of airstrikes to count civilian death, the magazine explained, and rarely takes into account external reports by watchdogs that use local news, social media, or open-source information. Maj. Shane Huff, a spokesman for the U.S. Central Command, said that "U.S. and coalition forces work very hard to be precise in airstrikes" and "are conducting one of the most precise air campaigns in military history."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Pope urges climate action, unity at Jakarta mosqueSpeed Read The pope and the mosque's top cleric signed a joint declaration encouraging religious tolerance and climate change action
-
Teen kills 4 in Georgia high school shootingSpeed Read A student shot and killed two classmates and two teachers at Apalachee High School
-
DOJ charges 2 Russians for funding US far-right mediaSpeed Read Russia is running disinformation campaigns to influence US politics ahead of the 2024 election, officials say
-
Israel proposes two-month pause in Gaza war in exchange for all Hamas hostagesSpeed Read Deal doesn't include an agreement to end war, but might be 'the only path that could lead to a ceasefire', said US officials
-
Nato official warns of all-out war with Russia in next 20 yearsSpeed Read Civilians must prepare for life-changing conflict and mass mobilisation, says military chief
-
Rishi Sunak visits Kyiv to announce £2.5 billion in military support for UkraineSpeed Read Surprise trip comes amid increased Russian bombardment and escalation of Middle East crisis
-
British warship repels 'largest Houthi attack to date' in the Red SeaSpeed read Western allies warn of military response to Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels if attacks on ships continue
-
Israel preparing to flood Hamas tunnels with seawaterSpeed Read IDF pumps could drive out terrorists but critics warn of danger to hostages and Gaza water supply
-
Houthi rebels claim Red Sea ship attacksspeed read Iran-backed Yemeni group vows to escalate aggression towards Israel-linked vessels in revenge for Gaza war
-
Israel plans next phase of Gaza war as first hostages releasedSpeed read After four-day ceasefire 'we will not stop' until destruction of Hamas, says Israel
-
Mob storms Russian airport 'looking for Jews'Speed Read Plane from Israel surrounded by rioters chanting antisemitic slogans after landing in Russia's Dagestan region
