Intel: CENTCOM disputes watchdog report on Yemen civilian casualties

Airwars responded to CENTCOM’s statement on Thursday, saying that more than half of the alleged US military engagements deemed to have resulted in civilian casualties corresponded to confirmed US strikes and raids.

“The ongoing failure of CENTCOM to provide locational information for its strikes in Yemen — and the opacity of its civilian harm assessments — contrast sharply with its processes for Iraq [and] Syria,” Airwars tweeted.

Airwars acknowledged that the inconsistency between its findings and US Central Command’s claims may suggest that another party, namely the CIA, could have been behind some of the drone strikes.

CENTCOM’s public tally stands at 12 civilians killed in Yemen, all during a single botched special operations raid during President Trump’s first month in office. The command told Congress in May it received zero allegations of civilian casualties in the country in 2019, a claim Airwars disputed in its report.

Why it matters:  The US military has policies and procedures to minimize civilian casualties in conflicts abroad, but rights groups say much work remains to be done and transparency is lacking.

Groups like Amnesty International and journalists continue to report that the US military undercounts its civilian casualties in conflicts in Syria, Somalia and Yemen, in many cases labelling those killed as combatants despite claims to the contrary. The issue has also gotten attention from lawmakers.

The work of bodies like Airwars has led to some changes in how the US military tracks and reports civilian casualties. But despite a congressional mandate included in the 2019 defense bill, the Pentagon has not yet unveiled a standardized policy across all the combatant commands for investigating and addressing allegations of civilian casualties.

What’s next:  The military-wide policy is expected to be signed sometime in the next few weeks.

Know more:  Read Al-Monitor’s story on Airwars’ Yemen report.