Pentagon report: US military killed 132 civilians in conflicts in 2019
While the number is lower than independent monitors claim, some have still recognized the report as a step forward in accountability.
The US military said its operations in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia killed 132 civilians and injured 91 others in 2019, according to an annual report released to Congress yesterday.
The report also said US military actions had caused a previously undeclared 79 additional civilian casualties in 2017-2018.
The number is far lower than independent monitors have assessed, though some rights organizations recognized the report was nonetheless a step forward for US military accountability.
In Iraq and Syria, the Pentagon said 22 civilians were killed and 13 injured in operations against the Islamic State in 2019. In contrast, Airwars, an independent UK-based NGO that analyzes allegations of civilian casualties, assessed more than 1,000 civilian deaths in the first half of 2019 alone.
