UK Military Record on Civilians Killed in Iraq, Syria Questioned

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Facts

• New questions have emerged regarding an admission made by the UK in May 2018 that its military had killed one civilian in eastern Syria two months earlier — the only civilian casualty they have acknowledged. Then defense secretary Gavin Williamson told parliament that the strike was not logged in the records of civilian casualties kept by its allies in the international coalition.¹
• A investigation by the Guardian newspaper identified six strikes in the Iraqi city of Mosul that killed civilians and appear to have been carried out by British forces, suggesting discrepancies in the government's account and consequently raising concerns about how the UK records civilian casualties.²
• The report alleges that the only civilian casualty recognized by Britain in the course of an eight-year aerial bombing campaign against the Islamic State (IS) came in a strike that did not officially harm anyone, and the civilian in question doesn't seem to officially exist.¹
• According to a written statement released to the House of Commons at the start of May 2018, a hellfire missile strike aimed at three militants, during which a civilian motorbike crossed into the strike area at the last moment, resulted in the unintentional death of one civilian.²
• Months after Sec. Williamson's statement, US-led coalition investigators concluded that 'no coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area that correspond to the report of civilian casualties.'¹
• Besides this disputed claim, the UK has maintained that its military has conducted a 'perfect war' against IS in Iraq and Syria. The coalition overall has accepted its strikes have killed at least 1,437 civilians, the majority of them in American strikes.²

Sources: ¹Guardian and ²Aoav.

Narratives

• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Arab News. British bombing in Iraq and Syria in the fight against IS resulted in more than 4K munitions in the two countries — it seems incredibly unlikely that not a single civilian was killed during said campaign. Besides the deaths that were uncovered in the Guardian's investigation, there were almost certainly more victims for whom the UK's military failed to properly account. Justice and accountability for their deaths must be pursued.
• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by The National. This investigation reinforces that the UK's armed forces must comply with the highest possible operational standards. However, regardless of debate over the particulars, one must keep in mind that the fight against IS was absolutely necessary, and that UK forces did everything in their power to reduce civilian casualties. Going forward, the UK is always trying to improve its tactics.