Pentagon documents show that the US air wars in the Middle East were marred by “deeply flawed intelligence” and resulted in thousands of civilian deaths, including many children, reported The New York Times on Saturday (18).
According to the newspaper, a recently obtained set of classified documents, which includes more than 1,300 accounts of civilian casualties, belies the government’s version of a war waged with precision bombs.
Promises of transparency and regular accountability have not been completely fulfilled, he said.
“None of the records evaluated include records of infractions or disciplinary actions,” the newspaper noted, adding that reported civilian deaths were underreported.
Among the three cases cited is the July 19, 2016 bombing by US special forces against what were believed to be three Islamic State concentration zones in northern Syria. The deaths of 85 combatants were initially reported, but these were actually 120 peasants and villagers.
Bad surveillance footage often contributed to deadly errors, according to the report.
More recently, the United States has had to admit its mistake after alleging that a vehicle destroyed by a drone in Kabul in August contained bombs. The victims of the attack were 10 members of a family.
Many civilians who survived US offensives were left with disabilities that required expensive treatment, but fewer than a dozen compensation payments were recorded.
Questioned by the newspaper, Captain Bill Urban, spokesman for the Central Command, said that “even with the best technology in the world, errors occur, whether due to incomplete information or misinterpretation of available information. And we try to learn from these mistakes.”
“We work diligently to avoid causing this type of damage. We investigate all credible cases. And we mourn every loss of an innocent life,” he added.
The US air campaign in the Middle East grew in the final years of former President Barack Obama’s tenure, as public support for the land war waned.
Obama said the use of remotely controlled aerial devices favored “the most accurate air campaign in history” capable of minimizing civilian casualties.
However, in five years, the US Air Force has carried out more than 50,000 air strikes in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, according to the New York Times report.
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