Annual Report on Civilian Casualties in Connection with United States Military Operations in 2019
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Deir Ez-Zor: Dozens Arbitrarily Arrested During SDF's “Deterrence
Deir ez-Zor: Dozens Arbitrarily Arrested during SDF’s “Deterrence of Terrorism” Campaign www.stj-sy.org Deir ez-Zor: Dozens Arbitrarily Arrested during SDF’s “Deterrence of Terrorism” Campaign This joint report is brought by Justice For Life (JFL) and Syrians for Truth and Justice (STJ) Page | 2 Deir ez-Zor: Dozens Arbitrarily Arrested during SDF’s “Deterrence of Terrorism” Campaign www.stj-sy.org 1. Executive Summary The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) embarked on numerous raids and arrested dozens of people in its control areas in Deir ez-Zor province, located east of the Euphrates River, during the “Deterrence of Terrorism” campaign it first launched on 4 June 2020 against the cells of the Islamic State (IS), aka Daesh. The reported raids and arrests were spearheaded by the security services of the Autonomous Administration and the SDF, particularly by the Anti-Terror Forces, known as the HAT.1 Some of these raids were covered by helicopters of the US-led coalition, eyewitnesses claimed. In the wake of the campaign’s first stage, the SDF announced that it arrested and detained 110 persons on the charge of belonging to IS, in a statement made on 10 June 2020,2 adding that it also swept large-scale areas in the suburbs of Deir ez-Zor and al-Hasakah provinces. It also arrested and detained other 31 persons during the campaign’s second stage, according to the corresponding statement made on 21 July 2020 that reported the outcomes of the 4- day operation in rural Deir ez-Zor.3 “At the end of the [campaign’s] second stage, the participant forces managed to achieve the planned goals,” the SDF said, pointing out that it arrested 31 terrorists and suspects, one of whom it described as a high-ranking IS commander. -
The Civilian Impact of Drone Strikes
THE CIVILIAN IMPACT OF DRONES: UNEXAMINED COSTS, UNANSWERED QUESTIONS Acknowledgements This report is the product of a collaboration between the Human Rights Clinic at Columbia Law School and the Center for Civilians in Conflict. At the Columbia Human Rights Clinic, research and authorship includes: Naureen Shah, Acting Director of the Human Rights Clinic and Associate Director of the Counterterrorism and Human Rights Project, Human Rights Institute at Columbia Law School, Rashmi Chopra, J.D. ‘13, Janine Morna, J.D. ‘12, Chantal Grut, L.L.M. ‘12, Emily Howie, L.L.M. ‘12, Daniel Mule, J.D. ‘13, Zoe Hutchinson, L.L.M. ‘12, Max Abbott, J.D. ‘12. Sarah Holewinski, Executive Director of Center for Civilians in Conflict, led staff from the Center in conceptualization of the report, and additional research and writing, including with Golzar Kheiltash, Erin Osterhaus and Lara Berlin. The report was designed by Marla Keenan of Center for Civilians in Conflict. Liz Lucas of Center for Civilians in Conflict led media outreach with Greta Moseson, pro- gram coordinator at the Human Rights Institute at Columbia Law School. The Columbia Human Rights Clinic and the Columbia Human Rights Institute are grateful to the Open Society Foundations and Bullitt Foundation for their financial support of the Institute’s Counterterrorism and Human Rights Project, and to Columbia Law School for its ongoing support. Copyright © 2012 Center for Civilians in Conflict (formerly CIVIC) and Human Rights Clinic at Columbia Law School All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America. Copies of this report are available for download at: www.civiliansinconflict.org Cover: Shakeel Khan lost his home and members of his family to a drone missile in 2010. -
Call for Solidarity with Efrîn
Call for Solidarity with Efrîn 12.03.2018 Preface This document includes declaration of several NGO’s and humanitarian organizations. Contents - NGOs and Humanitarian Actors signed on the statement. - Efrîn - Detailed file on the committed massacres done by the Turkish airstrikes and its allies on Efrîn. - Suspirations of using chemical weapons in Efrîn. - Civilian suffers in photos - Documented Victims in the period 20.1.2018 until 23.2.2018 - Detailed document on children victims of Turkish attacks on Efrîn. - Detailed document about women women victims o Turkish attacks on Efrîn. - Report about Basuteh massacre. - Attachment (signs and stamps of the NGOs) Annex - Map of the Efrîn 2 We the undersigning NGOs and humanitarian organizations, on the basis of the following statements and documentation reported by the Kurdish Red Crescent and other Humanitarian actors, deplore the aggression moved by Turkey against Efrîn region in north Syria, from where we get reports showing that the violations of human rights have reached to tragic levels. There are evidents that the Turkish state is braking international law and opposing the international conventions and resolutions during the ongoing massacres against the indigenous peoples of the region and also against the persons displaced in the same area. The Turkish state and some Free Syrian Army groups started this military attack on the 20th of January 2018 with an intensive shelling by Turkish warplanes, targeting both military sites and civil buildings in Efrîn such as houses, schools and hospitals. The Kurdish Red Crescent documented the death of 227 civilians, among those 32 child and 28 women, and 651 civilian are injured, among those 87 children and 93 women, due to Turkish attacks until 26’th of February. -
Living Under Drones Death, Injury, and Trauma to Civilians from US Drone Practices in Pakistan
Fall 08 September 2012 Living Under Drones Death, Injury, and Trauma to Civilians From US Drone Practices in Pakistan International Human Rights and Conflict Resolution Clinic Stanford Law School Global Justice Clinic http://livingunderdrones.org/ NYU School of Law Cover Photo: Roof of the home of Faheem Qureshi, a then 14-year old victim of a January 23, 2009 drone strike (the first during President Obama’s administration), in Zeraki, North Waziristan, Pakistan. Photo supplied by Faheem Qureshi to our research team. Suggested Citation: INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION CLINIC (STANFORD LAW SCHOOL) AND GLOBAL JUSTICE CLINIC (NYU SCHOOL OF LAW), LIVING UNDER DRONES: DEATH, INJURY, AND TRAUMA TO CIVILIANS FROM US DRONE PRACTICES IN PAKISTAN (September, 2012) TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I ABOUT THE AUTHORS III EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS V INTRODUCTION 1 METHODOLOGY 2 CHALLENGES 4 CHAPTER 1: BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT 7 DRONES: AN OVERVIEW 8 DRONES AND TARGETED KILLING AS A RESPONSE TO 9/11 10 PRESIDENT OBAMA’S ESCALATION OF THE DRONE PROGRAM 12 “PERSONALITY STRIKES” AND SO-CALLED “SIGNATURE STRIKES” 12 WHO MAKES THE CALL? 13 PAKISTAN’S DIVIDED ROLE 15 CONFLICT, ARMED NON-STATE GROUPS, AND MILITARY FORCES IN NORTHWEST PAKISTAN 17 UNDERSTANDING THE TARGET: FATA IN CONTEXT 20 PASHTUN CULTURE AND SOCIAL NORMS 22 GOVERNANCE 23 ECONOMY AND HOUSEHOLDS 25 ACCESSING FATA 26 CHAPTER 2: NUMBERS 29 TERMINOLOGY 30 UNDERREPORTING OF CIVILIAN CASUALTIES BY US GOVERNMENT SOURCES 32 CONFLICTING MEDIA REPORTS 35 OTHER CONSIDERATIONS -
International Criminal Law a Discussion Guide for the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia
INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL LAW A DISCUSSION GUIDE FOR THE EXTRAORDINARY CHAMBERS IN THE COURTS OF CAMBODIA WAR CRIMES RESEARCH OFFICE 2nd Edition December 2007 Acknowledgments Contributing authors and editors of this Guide include War Crimes Research Office (WCRO) Director Susana SáCouto, WCRO Assistant Director Katherine Cleary, former WCRO Assistant Director Anne Heindel, former WCRO Director John Cerone, Washington College of Law (WCL) Professor Diane Orentlicher and WCL Professor Robert Goldman. The following WCL students and graduates also contributed to its production: Ewen Allison, Katrina Anderson, Katharine Brown, Agustina Del Campo, Tejal Jesrani, Robert Kahn, Chante Lasco, Solomon Shinerock and Claire Trickler- McNulty. Mann Sovanna oversaw translation of the Khmer edition. We are grateful for the generous support of the Open Society Justice Initiative and the Open Society Burma Project/Southeast Asia Initiative, without which this project would not have been possible. About the War Crimes Research Office The core mandate of the War Crimes Research Office is to promote the development and enforcement of international criminal and humanitarian law, primarily through the provision of specialized legal assistance to international criminal courts and tribunals. The Office was established by the Washington College of Law in 1995 in response to a request for assistance from the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and Rwanda (ICTR), established by the United Nations Security Council in 1993 and 1994 respectively. Since then, several new internationalized or “hybrid” war crimes tribunals—comprising both international and national personnel and applying a blend of domestic and international law—have been established under the auspices or with the support of the United Nations, each raising novel legal issues. -
S/2019/321 Security Council
United Nations S/2019/321 Security Council Distr.: General 16 April 2019 Original: English Implementation of Security Council resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165 (2014), 2191 (2014), 2258 (2015), 2332 (2016), 2393 (2017), 2401 (2018) and 2449 (2018) Report of the Secretary-General I. Introduction 1. The present report is the sixtieth submitted pursuant to paragraph 17 of Security Council resolution 2139 (2014), paragraph 10 of resolution 2165 (2014), paragraph 5 of resolution 2191 (2014), paragraph 5 of resolution 2258 (2015), paragraph 5 of resolution 2332 (2016), paragraph 6 of resolution 2393 (2017),paragraph 12 of resolution 2401 (2018) and paragraph 6 of resolution 2449 (2018), in the last of which the Council requested the Secretary-General to provide a report at least every 60 days, on the implementation of the resolutions by all parties to the conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic. 2. The information contained herein is based on data available to agencies of the United Nations system and obtained from the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic and other relevant sources. Data from agencies of the United Nations system on their humanitarian deliveries have been reported for February and March 2019. II. Major developments Box 1 Key points: February and March 2019 1. Large numbers of civilians were reportedly killed and injured in Baghuz and surrounding areas in south-eastern Dayr al-Zawr Governorate as a result of air strikes and intense fighting between the Syrian Democratic Forces and Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. From 4 December 2018 through the end of March 2019, more than 63,500 people were displaced out of the area to the Hawl camp in Hasakah Governorate. -
Rethinking the Drone War
RETHINKING THE DRONE WAR RETHINKING THE DRONE WAR NATIONAL SECURITY, LEGITIMACY, AND CIVILIAN CASUALTIES IN U.S. COUNTERTERRORISM OPERATIONS LARRY LEWIS DIANE M. VAVRICHEK A joint publication of CNA and Marine Corps University Press MCUP MARINE CORPS UNIVERSITY PRESS Quantico, Virginia 2016 This book represents the best opinion of the authors at the time of printing. The views and opinions are the authors’ own, and do not necessarily represent those of CNA, the Department of the Navy, the U.S. Marine Corps, Marine Corps University, or the U.S. government. MCUP MARINE CORPS UNIVERSITY PRESS Marine Corps University Press CNA Corporation 111 South Street Arlington, VA 22201 www.usmcu.edu/mcupress www.cna.org 1st printing, 2016 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Lewis, Larry L. (Lawrence L.), author. | Vavrichek, Diane, author. Title: Rethinking the drone war : national security, legitimacy, and civilian casualties in U.S. counterterrorism operations / Larry Lewis, Diane Vavrichek. Other titles: National security, legitimacy, and civilian casualties in U.S. counterterrorism operations Description: Quantico, VA : CNA and Marine Corps University Press, [2016] | Includes index. Subjects: LCSH: Drone aircraft--United States--History. | Drone aircraft--Government policy--United States. | Drone aircraft--Moral and ethical aspects--United States. | Uninhabited combat aerial vehicles--Government policy--United States. | Terrorism--Prevention--Government policy--United States. | Targeted killing--Government policy--United -
UNHCR's Operational Update: January-March 2019, English
OPERATIONAL UPDATE Syria January -March 2019 As of end of March, UNHCR In February, UNHCR participated in Since December a major emergency concluded its winterization the largest ever humanitarian in North East Syria led to thousands of programme with the distribution convoy providing life-saving people fleeing Hajin to Al-Hol camp. of 1,553,188 winterized humanitarian assistance to some UNHCR is providing core relief items to 1,163,494 individuals/ 40,000 displaced people at the items, shelter and protection 241,870 families in 13 governorates in Rukban ‘makeshift’ settlement in support for the current population Syria. south-eastern Syria, on the border which exceeds 73,000 individuals. with Jordan. HUMANITARIAN SNAPSHOT 11.7 million FUNDING (AS OF 16 APRIL 2019) people in need of humanitarian assistance USD 624.4 million requested for the Syria Operation 13.2 million Funded 14% people in need of protection interventions 87.4 million 11.3 million people in need of health assistance 4.7 million people in need of shelter Unfunded 86% 4.4 million 537 million people in need of core relief items POPULATION OF CONCERN Internally Displaced Persons Internally displaced persons 6.2 million Returnees Syrian displaced returnees 2018 1.4 million* Syrian refugee returnees 2018 56,047** Syrian refugee returnees 2019 21,575*** Refugees and Asylum seekers Current population 32,289**** Total urban refugees 17,832 Total asylum seekers 14,457 Camp population 30,529***** High Commissioner meets with families in Souran in Rural * OCHA, December 2018 Hama that have returned to their homes and received shelter ** UNHCR, December 2018 *** UNHCR, March 2019 assistance from UNHCR. -
Status of the Protocols Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1949
Information from Sweden on the Status of the Protocols Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 relating to the protection of victims of armed conflict, pursuant to General Assembly resolution 73/204 of 20 December 2018 In accordance with General Assembly resolution 73/204 of 20 December 2018 entitled “Status of the Protocols Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and relating to the protection of victims of armed conflicts”, Sweden hereby submits the following information. 1. Sweden has been a party to the first and second Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions since 1979, and has reported continuously on the implementation and development of international humanitarian law (IHL), to the UN Secretary General in accordance with the above mentioned resolution since 1994, in the latest report from 2016. The following information supplements previous reports. 2. Strengthening compliance with IHL is a core priority for Sweden and the national implementation of IHL is an important part of the overall compliance efforts. Sweden works to promote cooperation between national and international actors to initiate national prosecution for violations of IHL when possible. Sweden co-hosted a joint ministerial and expert meeting for this purpose in Brussels in April 2018. 3. Sweden has since 2008 had permanent entities within its judicial authorities investigating and prosecuting crimes against the Geneva Conventions and IHL. Sweden exercises universal jurisdiction for international crimes in order to end impunity and uphold accountability for said crimes. Through cases on national level, Sweden has taken part in establishing new jurisprudence relating in the field of IHL. In investigations at national level, victims of armed conflicts are entitled legal counsel financed by public means. -
Of Iraq's Kirkuk
INSTITUT KURDDE PARIS E Information and liaison bulletin N° 392 NOVEMBER 2017 The publication of this Bulletin enjoys a subsidy from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Ministry of Culture This bulletin is issued in French and English Price per issue : France: 6 € — Abroad : 7,5 € Annual subscribtion (12 issues) France : 60 € — Elsewhere : 75 € Monthly review Directeur de la publication : Mohamad HASSAN Misen en page et maquette : Ṣerefettin ISBN 0761 1285 INSTITUT KURDE, 106, rue La Fayette - 75010 PARIS Tel. : 01-48 24 64 64 - Fax : 01-48 24 64 66 www.fikp.org E-mail: bulletin@fikp.org Information and liaison bulletin Kurdish Institute of Paris Bulletin N° 392 November 2017 • ROJAVA: PREPARING MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE • TURKEY: THE REPRESSION EXPANDS TO LIBER- AL CIRCLES; THE VIOLENCE IS INCREASING • IRAQI KURDISTAN: UNCONSTITUTIONAL DEMANDS FROM BAGHDAD, ARABISATION OF KIRKUK RESTARTED ROJAVA: PREPARING MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE. broad the “World Day for beginning to return to Raqqa, liber- the 17th with a suicide attack on a Kobani” was celebrated ated on 17th October. Regarding checkpoint that caused at least 35 on 1st November largely Deir Ezzor, the SDF fighters from victims in the Northeast of Deir as a symbol of this Syrian the “Jezirah Storm” operation, Ezzor Province, between the hydro- A Kurdish town’s unremit- launched on 9th September, liberated carbon fields of Conoco and Jafra. It ting resistance to the attack 7 villages near the town and about was, nevertheless, not able to pre- launched by ISIS in 2014 with fifteen km from the Iraqi borders, vent the SDF from reaching the Iraqi Turkish connivance. -
Collateral Damage and Radicalization Process: a Case of American Drone Strikes Policy in FATA, Pakistan
Global Regional Review (GRR) URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/grr.2019(IV-II).51 Collateral Damage and Radicalization Process: A Case of American Drone Strikes Policy in FATA, Pakistan Vol. IV, No. II (Spring 2019) | Pages: 478 ‒ 488 | DOI: 10.31703/grr.2019(IV-II).51 p- ISSN: 2616-955X | e-ISSN: 2663-7030 | ISSN-L: 2616-955X Ayaz Ali Shah* Tila Mohammad† Muhammad Saleem‡ This research is about the drone strikes conducted by the U.S. government in the FATA region of Pakistan from Abstract Afghanistan. Though FATA is not a declared war zone, the U.S. still continues to carry out drone attack there for a comparative number advantage of drone technology. This war tactic has been very effective in targeting some high-profile terrorists; it is not without side effects. There is a consensus of opinion that drones have killed numerous civilians in the process of targeting the terrorists. This research tries to develop an understanding of how collateral damage may work to the advantage of non-state actors and terrorist organizations and how it helps fuel the process of radicalization in the aggrieved community. Data is collected through secondary sources. It is a source of radicalization of aggrieved people who resort to revenge the death of their dear ones. Key Words: Drone strikes, collateral damage, FATA, Afghanistan, Radicalization Introduction The attack on the World Trade Center in America, a potent symbol of western capitalism, on September 11, 2001, marked a significant transformation in policies to counter and defeat terrorism. In a swift response, the then U.S. -
American War and Military Operations Casualties: Lists and Statistics
American War and Military Operations Casualties: Lists and Statistics Updated July 29, 2020 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov RL32492 American War and Military Operations Casualties: Lists and Statistics Summary This report provides U.S. war casualty statistics. It includes data tables containing the number of casualties among American military personnel who served in principal wars and combat operations from 1775 to the present. It also includes data on those wounded in action and information such as race and ethnicity, gender, branch of service, and cause of death. The tables are compiled from various Department of Defense (DOD) sources. Wars covered include the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam Conflict, and the Persian Gulf War. Military operations covered include the Iranian Hostage Rescue Mission; Lebanon Peacekeeping; Urgent Fury in Grenada; Just Cause in Panama; Desert Shield and Desert Storm; Restore Hope in Somalia; Uphold Democracy in Haiti; Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF); Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF); Operation New Dawn (OND); Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR); and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel (OFS). Starting with the Korean War and the more recent conflicts, this report includes additional detailed information on types of casualties and, when available, demographics. It also cites a number of resources for further information, including sources of historical statistics on active duty military deaths, published lists of military personnel killed in combat actions, data on demographic indicators among U.S. military personnel, related websites, and relevant CRS reports. Congressional Research Service American War and Military Operations Casualties: Lists and Statistics Contents Introduction ....................................................................................................................................