| 2019 U.S. airstrike in Baghuz | |
|---|---|
| Part of theAmerican-led intervention in the Syrian civil war | |
  Baghuz Baghuz (Syria) | |
| Location | Al-Baghuz Fawqani,Deir ez-Zor Governorate,Syria |
| Date | 18 March 2019 (2019-03-18) |
| Target | Islamic State[1] |
Attack type | Airstrike |
| Weapons | F-15E fighter jet[1] |
| Deaths | Up to 80 (64 civilians and 16ISIL fighters) (PerThe New York Times)[2] 56 (52 IS fighters and 4 civilians) (Per U.S.)[3] |
| Injured | 15 civilians (per U.S.) |
| Perpetrators |   United States Air Force[1] |
On 18 March 2019, during theBattle of Baghuz Fawqani, theTalon Anvil special operations group, aDelta Force unit within the larger Task Force 9 of theUnited States Armed Forces, carried out an airstrike using anF-15E fighter-attack aircraft inAl-Baghuz Fawqani,Syria. The incident was concealed by the U.S. military, and was first reported on 14 November 2021 byThe New York Times, who reported that the incident led to the deaths of 80 people, 64 of whom were civilians, which would make it one of the largest civilian casualty incidents of the war against theIslamic State.[1][4] A US military investigation in May 2022 concluded that the airstrike killed 52 IS fighters and 4 civilians and did not violate the laws of war.[3]
On the morning of 18 March 2019, during theBattle of Baghuz Fawqani, theSyrian Democratic Forces had repelled an hours-long Islamic State counterattack that nearly overran a position. According toU.S. Central Command spokesman Captain William (Bill) Urban, an Air Force special operations unit namedTalon Anvil, part of the larger Task Force 9, called in an airstrike on a crowd of people in the area.[5][6][2]
The U.S. aircraft dropped two bombs on a crowd of people, which were, according toThe New York Times, mostly women and children who were trying to escape the fighting on the banks of the Euphrates, near the Syria-Iraq border. According to the report byThe New York Times, the crowd had been identified as civilians by U.S. drone operators based in Al-Udeid airbase in Qatar. The drone operators were reportedly stunned seeing the first 500 lb bomb dropped, followed by a second 2,000 lb bomb on the survivors; 80 people were killed including Islamic State fighters according toThe New York Times report.[2]
Civilian observers coming to the strike area the next day witnessed piles of dead women and children. The human rights organizationRaqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently called the incident a "terrible massacre" and posted photos of the bodies.[1] The strike area was bulldozed shortly afterwards.[1]
The 2019 incident was concealed by the U.S. military until it was reported in 2021 by theNew York Times.[1] The official military tally of civilian dead for the year 2019 is only 22, and does not include the toll from the 2019 Baghuz attack.[2] Investigation of the case was blocked by the independent inspector general and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.[7] According to theNew York Times investigation, senior military officials in Iraq and Florida never reviewed the airstrike, and the investigation technically remained open until the issue was reported by theTimes. RepresentativeAdam Smith, Democrat of Washington and the chairman of the panel, said in an email toThe New York Times that "Both the incident and the efforts to cover it up are deeply disturbing."[8]
A U.S. Air Force legal officer, Lt Col Dean Korsak, said the incident could be a "possiblewar crime".[1] On 15 November 2021, Secretary of DefenseLloyd Austin ordered a briefing on the strike and its handling.[9] Lloyd Austin promised to "revamp" military procedures and hold top officers responsible for civilian damage, but did not discuss any systemic problems leading to the persisting civilian casualties in Syria and Afghanistan battlefields. Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said that "No military in the world works as hard as we do to avoid civilian casualties".[6][10] Also, he did not say if "senior officers would be held accountable".[8] The US Central Command said that the attack was justified because it killed Islamic State fighters.[2]
Human rights groups have called for an independent investigation into the bombing by theUnited States Congress.[9]