Recent investigations by Air Wars, in cooperation with The Guardian newspaper, revealed that the British army had killed civilians in Iraq with air strikes, during its participation in the international coalition against the terrorist organization ISIS.
During its participation in the international coalition to fight against the terrorist "ISIS" in Iraq, between 2014 and 2017, the British army has always denied any civilian casualties as a result of the military operations launched by its forces against the terrorist organization. This is denied by a recent investigation of the "Air Wars" organization, in cooperation with the Guardian newspaper, relying on secret documents of the Operations Command and testimonies of survivors.
An investigation by "Air Wars" and the Guardian revealed that at least 32 Iraqi civilians were killed as a result of British air strikes on the city of Mosul, including children as young as 6 years old. While the years of war against the terrorist “ISIS” and the accompanying attacks by the international coalition are considered one of the darkest stages that the Iraqi people went through, which claimed thousands of civilian lives.
How did the British army kill civilians in Iraq?
On November 29, 2016, the British Air Force conducted a missile strike on the city of Mosul, based on “the request of the mission commander to strike ISIS fighters who had fired on Iraqi allies,” according to Air Wars, but the strike “lost its priority targets, to To eventually identify another group of males on the sidewalk with a possible weapon.
This strike claimed the life of the little girl Taiba, who was no more than six years old. While her mother, Inaam Younes, was injured in the explosion, which led to the amputation of both her legs. Her younger sister was injured by shrapnel that is still lodged in her skull, as was her younger brother, who had parts of his foot and hand amputated.
In their testimony to the investigators, the mother, Inaam Yunis, and her father confirmed that the terrorist ISIS militants had no trace, 30 meters from the place where the family was hit, while they were trying to take shelter from the fighting in a neighbor's house.
Inaam Younis was removed from Mosul for treatment, and even after six years, painful memories associated with the city of Mosul still haunt her, which prevents her from returning to it. "It's still impossible for me to think of going to Mosul now," she said, crying. "I haven't visited my daughter's grave. I can't."
The investigation revealed that at least 32 civilians lost their lives during British air strikes on the city of Mosul, during the war against ISIS terrorists, between 2014 and 2017. These results were reached on the basis of dozens of military documents that were declassified, and a visit to Iraq was also conducted, testimonies of survivors were heard, and data were linked between them.
Commenting on the publication of the investigation , Emma Graham Harrison, international affairs correspondent for the British newspaper The Guardian, wrote: “Britain claimed to have fought a perfect war against ISIS in Iraq. Thousands of missiles were fired, thousands of fighters were killed and no civilians were harmed . correct".
Thousands of victims, without compensation
According to figures from the Iraq Body Count, between January 2014 and January 2017, no less than 55,308 civilians were killed in Iraq as a result of the fighting. Hundreds of them were victims of coalition strikes, which the United States, which was leading the coalition, does not deny .
Air Wars estimates that between 8,197 and 13,254 Iraqi and Syrian civilians have been killed by the US-led coalition in 1,525 separate strikes since 2014. This figure is in stark contrast to coalition estimates of 1,437 civilians killed in 342 separate incidents .
When the Guardian inquired of the British Ministry of Defense about the results of the investigation, the ministry declined to confirm or deny whether its forces had carried out these specific strikes. A British defense spokesman said: "There is no evidence or indication of civilian casualties as a result of the strikes in Syria and Iraq."
"The UK always minimizes the risk of civilian casualties through our rigorous processes and carefully examines a range of evidence to do so, including comprehensive analysis of every strike data," the spokesperson added.
The refusal of the British ministry prevents the victims from obtaining compensation for what happened to them, as the “Air Wars” report indicates that “in theory, civilian victims of British air strikes are entitled to claim condolence payments from the Kingdom’s government,” in this case those who will try to do so "They will face severe procedural and legal hurdles."
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