Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al-Mayadeen's correspondent in southern Lebanon: Israeli occupation forces withdraw from the Blida municipality building two hours after occupying it, and the Lebanese army enters
Pakistani army: 6 soldiers and 7 militants killed in clash near the Afghan border
Israeli media: Sirens sound in the settlement of Kerem Shalom in the Gaza envelope area
Afghan source to Al Mayadeen: We still believe in dialogue and prioritize diplomatic solutions with Pakistan; though we are ready for all possibilities.
Afghan source to Al Mayadeen: Pakistan purposely obstructed negotiations in Turkey by making unrealistic demands.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: More than 70 martyrs in Israeli attacks on Gaza since dawn.
Death toll from latest Israeli strikes on Gaza rises to 30
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Five killed in the Israeli bombing of a civilian vehicle on Al-Qassam Street in Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip
Hamas confirms that it has no connection to the shooting incident in Rafah and affirms its commitment to the ceasefire agreement
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Two civilians were killed and four others, including a child and an infant, were injured in an Israeli bombing of a house belonging to the Al-Banna family in the al-Sabra neighborhood, south of Gaza City

Less than estimated: US admits to killing civilians

  • By Al Mayadeen
  • Source: Agencies
  • 3 Jun 2021 13:35
  • 8 Shares
3 Min Read

In a tally that is far less than the reports issued by NGOs, the US military admits to killing 23 civilians around the world in its military operations.

  • x
  • US Air Force soldiers
    US Air Force soldiers

The US military admitted to killing 23 civilians in the military operations it carried out during the past year, the majority of which are in Afghanistan. The toll reported by the Pentagon is far less than the estimates of NGOs.

The United States Department of State indicated in the report that, despite Congress allocating a budget of $3 million to DoD to financially compensate the affected families, none of these families received any of these compensations.

The DoD said in the report that Congress obliges it to prepare annually since 2018, and it declassifies part of and keeps the other part classified, that "DoD assesses that there were approximately 23 civilians killed and approximately 10 civilians injured during 2020 as a result of U.S. military operations."

According to the report, the vast majority of the casualties occurred in Afghanistan, where the US military declared its responsibility for the death of 20 civilians, while the rest of the civilian casualties occurred as follows: one was killed in Somalia in February, and one in Iraq in March. There is one last casualty whose death's location and time the DoD did not disclose in the declassified part of the report.

Related News

SDF denies attack on Syrian army post, blames landmines

UN reports severe human rights violations in Syria’s Sweida

The report also acknowledged 12 additional incidents in 2017 and 2018, which left at least 50 civilians killed and 22 others injured, which brings the total casualties of those two years to 65 deaths and 22 injuries, the majority of whom are in Syria and Yemen.

According to Airwars, which assesses each civilian harm incident in air strikes around the world, the most conservative estimates indicate that last year 102 civilians were killed in US military operations around the world, which is almost 5 times the amount of the injuries that DoD acknowledged.

Airwars quoted the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for saying that in 2020, 89 civilian deaths and 31 injuries were recorded in the operations carried out by the US military-led coalition forces.

In Somalia, where the United States acknowledged killing one civilian, Airwars and other NGOs estimated that the US killed seven civilians there. The same NGO quoted local sources in Iraq and Syria for saying that the US killed six civilians in its military operations there.

ACLU said that the Department of Defense's investigations and acknowledgment of responsibility for civilian deaths remain horribly insufficient.

  • Syria
  • United States
  • Afghanistan
  • Pentagon
  • Iraq
  • Somalia
  • Yemen
  • Department of Defense

Most Read

'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

  • Technology
  • 24 Oct 2025
Arab League chief exposes secret US deal shielding 'Israel’s' nukes

Arab League chief exposes secret US deal shielding 'Israel’s' nukes

  • Politics
  • 27 Oct 2025
Hi-tech holocaust: Microsoft’s role in Gaza genocide

Microsoft's role in world’s first AI-driven genocide, in Gaza, exposed

  • Technology
  • 28 Oct 2025
What Marr evidently didn't seem to understand was that Hedges isn't saying that Western journalists manipulate the truth, but that they systematically amplify Israeli narratives they know are false. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)

Western journalists know they have a case to answer for their betrayal of Gaza, and it frightens them

  • Opinion
  • 24 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Displaced Sudanese who fled El-Fasher after the city fell to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), rest near the town of Tawila in war-torn Sudan's western Darfur region (AP)
Politics

UAE directly funded RSF, leading to fall of El-Fasher: Sudan

'You’re not welcome in Greece': Israelis face port protests
Politics

'You’re not welcome in Greece': Israelis face port protests

This photo released by the Israeli military on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023, shows ground operations inside the Gaza Strip (AP)
Politics

IOF soldier who fought in Gaza, Lebanon denied entry to Czech Republic

UN inquiry exposes 'Israel’s' four genocidal crimes against Gaza
Politics

'Israel' committed four genocidal acts in Gaza, UN inquiry finds

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS