On Monday, a statement from the US Africa Command disclosed that civilian casualties occurred as a result of a US military airstrike in Somalia that occurred in February. The attack also killed two members of al-Shabab, an Islamist militant group. The statement confirms that two civilians were killed and three

A new report by the United Nations (UN) shows that 3,804 civilians were killed in Afghanistan’s war last year, the highest number since the UN began keeping track in 2009. Previously, the highest civilian death toll had been recorded in 2014, the year in which the United States started to

Counting and estimating civilian casualties is an important process in U.S. military operations and in international relations, as these estimates form an important aspect of military planning and can be the basis of major international outrage. Estimates between the U.S., other governments, and various NGOs often differ widely, leading to

The Trump administration has issued a memo certifying that the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen’s civil war is “undertaking demonstrable actions to reduce the risk of harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure,” although also affirming that current civilian casualty numbers are “far too high.” The memo will permit continued U.S. military