Tag

#civilian-casualties

Deaths and injuries to non-combatant civilians resulting from military operations, including airstrikes, bombardment, and use of indiscriminate weapons. Implicates IHL principles of distinction and proportionality.

4 incidents

Military Overreach
Critical Rights and Rule-of-Law Concern

MOAB Strike in Afghanistan: First Combat Use of Largest Non-Nuclear Bomb

U.S. forces dropped the MOAB on an ISIS-Khorasan tunnel complex in Achin district, Nangarhar Province. It was the bomb's first combat use. Trump said he had authorized 'another successful job' but defense officials indicated the decision was made at the field commander level without direct presidential sign-off. Afghan and UN officials disputed casualty figures and raised concerns about civilian impact in surrounding villages.

Sources
4
AfghanistanMOABdrone-strikemilitary-overreachfirst-term
Updated March 1, 2019 Extrajudicial Killing
War Crime / Crime Against Humanity

Somalia Civilian Casualties: Loosened Targeting Rules and Transparency Rollbacks

Trump's Somalia designation and overall loosening of targeting rules — including relaxing the 'near-certainty' standard for civilian safety — significantly increased the pace of airstrikes across multiple theaters. Airwars and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism documented substantial increases in civilian casualties in Somalia under the new rules. The administration also reduced the reporting requirements for civilian harm assessments, eliminating the only systematic public accounting of civilian harm.

Sources
3
Somaliacivilian-casualtiesairstrikestargeting-rulesfirst-term
Updated December 1, 2020 Extrajudicial Killing
War Crime / Crime Against Humanity

Drone War Expansion: Relaxed Rules of Engagement and Surging Civilian Casualties

Trump granted the military broader strike authority, designated large areas as 'Areas of Active Hostility' enabling expanded strike approvals, removed mandatory civilian harm mitigation steps, and stopped requiring senior White House approval for counterterrorism strikes. Airwars and the UN documented a sharp rise in civilian casualties across Somalia, Yemen, and Afghanistan.

Sources
6
drone-strikescivilian-casualtiesSomaliaYemenAfghanistan
Updated February 28, 2017 Extrajudicial Killing
War Crime / Crime Against Humanity

Yakla Raid: Trump's First Military Operation Kills Civilians and a U.S. Navy SEAL

The Yakla raid was authorized by Trump without the standard national security review process. The operation went wrong from the start: intelligence may have been compromised, the element of surprise was lost, and the ensuing firefight resulted in the deaths of a U.S. service member, three wounded Americans, and an estimated 23–30 Yemeni civilians including at least 8 children. Among the civilians killed was 8-year-old Nawar al-Awlaki, a U.S. citizen — the daughter of cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who had been killed in a 2011 Obama-era drone strike.

Sources
5
Yemencivilian-casualtiesmilitary-operationSEAL-teamfirst-term