A new investigation shows that the U.S.-led coalition’s campaign against the Islamic State militant group in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul killed about ten times more civilians than it claims. Between 9,000 and 11,000 Mosul residents were killed in the nine months while the battle to liberate the city lasted, Associated Press informs, citing reports of gravediggers, morgue workers, and volunteers.
Iraqi or coalition forces were responsible for at least 3,200 civilian deaths in airstrikes or ground fire conducted from the beginning of the offensive in October 2016 to July 2017. The coalition says it is responsible for only 326 of the deaths, but also claims that it does not have adequate resources on the ground to investigate the total number of deaths.
“It was the biggest assault on a city in a couple of generations, all told. And thousands died. There doesn’t seem to be any disagreement about that, except the federal government and the coalition. And understanding how those civilians died, and obviously, ISIS played a big part in that as well, could help save a lot of lives the next time something like this has to happen. And the disinterest in any sort of investigation is very disheartening,” said Chris Woods, head of Airwars, an independent organization that documents air and artillery strikes in Iraq and Syria.
According to the Associated Press analysis, around a third of the casualties died in bombardments by the U.S.-led coalition or Iraqi forces, another third of the dead were killed in the Islamic State group’s final frenzy of violence. It is not known which side was responsible for the deaths of the remainder, who were cowering in neighborhoods battered by airstrikes, IS explosives and mortar rounds from all sides.
According to Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, 1,260 civilians were killed in the fighting for the city.
The coalition has defended its operational choices and claimed that it was Islamic State that put civilians in danger as it clung to power. The tolls exclude ISIS fighters killed in battle and the civilians that ISIS killed in Mosul and left in mass graves around the city.
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