Pentagon's new strategy to reduce civilian casualties

All US top military commanders are to be assigned “civilian protection officers” to advise on the dangers of collateral damage before any operational strikes are carried out in the future. The new layer of decision-making announced by Pentagon chiefs followed consistent criticism that the number of civilians killed in wars and counter-terrorism missions has been unacceptably high. The most controversial strike occurred in August last year when ten Afghan civilians, including seven children from one family, were killed in a drone attack in Kabul during the chaotic US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. Those responsible for the tragic error believed they were targeting Islamic State (Isis) suicide-bombers. Compensation has yet to be paid to the surviving members of the family. An airstrike that killed dozens of women and children in Syria three years ago was covered up, according to an investigation by The New York Times. After a review of military procedures aimed at reducing the risk of civilian casualties, Lloyd Austin, US defence secretary, released a “civilian harm, mitigation and response action plan”. It includes forming a centre of excellence to focus on the issue and the appointment of 150 specially-trained officials who will be posted to each of the 11 US combatant commands, such as Central Command in Tampa, Florida, and Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany. The Pentagon insists that it has always applied tight restrictions on operational strikes that could involve the risk of civilian casualties. US defence sources said there had been numerous occasions when military strikes had been called off in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, often at the last moment, when civilians emerged into the crosshairs. Military lawyers are also available for all combat commanders to advise on the legality of missions. However, Austin issued 11 new objectives to help commanders appreciate the importance of avoiding civilian casualties before authorising any strikes. The aim is not just to reduce the risk of non-combatants being killed or injured. “What we’re trying to do here is when you are conducting operations in hostile areas or areas where we have to do precision-targeting, [you] take into account what are the second or third effects of potential harm to civilians,” Brigadier-General Patrick Ryder, the newly appointed Pentagon press secretary, said. This would include civilian infrastructure, “things like water and power”, he said. As a result of the new edict from Austin, the proposed civilian protection officers will not just be military operators. They will also include urban planners and civil engineers who can advise on the risks of destroying civilian power supplies and properties, Ryder said. “It doesn’t mean civilians won’t be killed in war anymore. They will. But if this plan is properly resourced it will ensure fewer people will die,” Marc Garlasco, a former Pentagon official, told The New York Times. Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed since the war on terror was launched by President George W Bush in 2001, although there are no official estimates of the toll of dead and wounded. Unlike Russia which has been accused of killing civilians indiscriminately in Ukraine without any official cknowledgement , the Pentagon has attempted over the last two decades to review and assess all claimed civilian deaths. However, the Pentagon’s figures rarely matched unofficial estimates put out by human rights organisations which have claimed hundreds of thousands of civilians have died. “The US needs to acknowledge and address the many previous cases of civilian harm that have so far been denied or ignored,” Daphne Eviatar of Amnesty International, said. However she welcomed the new moves as a “promising first step” towards preventing future civilian casualties caused by US military operations.