2019 U.S. airstrike in Baghuz

On 18 March 2019, the Talon Anvil special operations force of the United States Armed Forces carried out an airstrike using an F-15E attack jet in Al-Baghuz Fawqani, Syria, leading to the deaths of 80 people, 64 of which were civilians, marking one of the largest civilian casualty incidents of the war against the Islamic State. The incident was concealed by the U.S. military[1] and it was reported by The New York Times for the first time on 14 November 2021.[3]

2019 U.S. airstrike in Baghuz
Part of American-led intervention in the Syrian civil war
LocationBaghuz, Deir ez-Zor, Syria
Date18 March 2019 (2019-03-18)
TargetIslamic State[1]
Attack type
Airstrike
WeaponsF-15E attack jet[1]
DeathsUp to 80 (64 civilians and 16 IS fighters)[2]
Perpetrators United States Air Force[1]

The bombing

The U.S. military fighter dropped two bombs on a crowd of people, mostly women and children who were trying to escape the fighting on the banks of the Euphrates, just near the Syria-Iraq border. The crowd had been identified as civilians by a U.S. drone operated from Al-Udeid airbase in Qatar. According to the report by The New York Times, the drone operators were stunned seeing the first 500lb bomb dropped by a US F-15E plane followed by a second 2,000lb bomb targeting the survivors. 80 people were killed including Islamic State fighters.[2] The attack lasted 12 minutes.[1]

The attack was initiated and coordinated by an Air Force special operations group named Talon Anvil.[4]

Aftermath

Civilian observers coming to the strike area the next day witnessed piles of dead women and children. The human rights organization Raqqa 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]

Coverup by the military

The 2019 incident was concealed by the U.S. military until it was reported in 2021 by the New York Times.[1] Investigation of the case was blocked by the independent inspector general and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.[5] According to the New 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 the Times. Representative Adam Smith, Democrat of Washington and the chairman of the panel, said in an email to The New York Times that "Both the incident and the efforts to cover it up are deeply disturbing."[6] The official military tally of civilian dead for 2019 year is only 22 and doesn't include the toll from the 2019 Baghuz attack.[2]

Post-New York Times report developments

A legal officer said the incident could be a "possible war crime".[1] On 15 November 2021, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered a briefing on the strike and its handling.[7] 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. Also, he did not say if "senior officers would be held accountable".[6] The US Central Command said that the attack was justified because it killed Islamic State fighters.[2]

Human right groups have called for an independent investigation by the congress.[7]

References
  1. Philipps, Dave; Schmitt, Eric (13 November 2021). "How the U.S. Hid an Airstrike That Killed Dozens of Civilians in Syria". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  2. Borger, Julian (14 November 2021). "US claims 2019 airstrike that hit Syrian women and children was justified". the Guardian. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  3. "U.S. military hid airstrikes that killed dozens of civilians in Syria -NYT". Reuters. 13 November 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  4. "Civilian Deaths Mounted as Secret U.S. Unit Pounded Islamic State", Dave Philipps , Eric Schmitt and Mark Mazzetti, December 12, 2021, New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/12/us/civilian-deaths-war-isis.html
  5. Aaronson, Trevor (18 November 2021). "The U.S.-Led Bombings That Ended the ISIS "Caliphate" Killed Scores of Civilians". The Intercept. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  6. Schmitt, Eric; Philipps, Dave (17 November 2021). "Pentagon Chief Says More Must Be Done to Prevent Civilian Harm". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  7. "Pentagon Chief Orders Briefing on 2019 Syria Airstrike That Killed Dozens". The New York Times. 15 November 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
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