Civilian deaths in Iraq and Syria

The issue of civilian deaths caused by US-led airstrikes in Syria and Iraq will be one of the defining judgments to be made once the war against Isis in these two countries is over. In war it's impossible to bomb from the air without causing some civilian casualties. The American-led coalition goes through an agonising process before authorising airstrikes. But there cannot be a fullproof system. Houses known to contain Isis snipers are legitimate targets. But can the experts planning the raids at the US base in Qatar be absolutely sure there are not women and children nearby. No they can't. So the latest figures povided by US Central Command for Operation Inherent Resolve in Syria and Iraq make uncomfortable reading. Since the air campaign began in August 2014, at least 685 civilians are believed to have been "unintentionally killed" in strikes involving aircraft and artillery. But the US military are still examining 455 other reports of civilian fatalities which may in due course be added to the death toll. The US admits to civilian casualties only when they have pretty good evidence that the coalition is to blame. There are always multiple claims of civilian deaths, but a huge percentage of them have been caused by Isis, either deliberately slaughtering families trying to escape. killing people who refuse to obey their edicts or by their mass use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and boobytraps. Sometimes it's difficult to be sure whether the coalition is to blame or Isis. For example, there was a tragic case in Mosul when the coalition targeted snipers in a building, but the bombs dropped caused a daisy-chain of detonations when Isis IEDs and ammunition stores blew up. About 100 civilians were killed. The coalition was to blame for dropping the bombs but Isis was also to blame for filling the houses with ammunition and explosives. The latest figures of admitted civilian deaths demonstrate the most unforgiveable aspect of warfare. But it is right they should be put into some sort of perspective. Since August 2014, the US-led coalition has carried out 24,160 strikes involving 51,038 separate engagements. The percentage of engagaments which resulted in civilian casualties was 2.29 per cent, according to Central Command. That is tragic but low. But the toll of civilian deaths and injuries breeds hatred and fear and more militancy. This is unavoidable. And the truth is that despite the careful assessments by the coalition, daily airstrikes over a period of three years do more than risk civilian deaths. They create a generation of war children whose lives are for ever destroyed by horrific memories and experiences. Isis is totally to blame for attemptng to force their hateful ideology on the people of Iraq and Syria. But to eliminate them, the US-led coalition has had to add to the daily traumas suffered by hundreds of thousands of men, women and children.