A top US military commander is denying reports that that the Pentagon has relaxed its targeting protocols, despite rapidly increasing civilian casualty rates in Syria and Iraq.
The head of US Central Command (CENTCOM), Gen. Joseph Votel, testified before the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, providing details on the military’s probe of a series of airstrikes in Mosul in recent weeks that have reportedly killed upwards of 300 civilians.
Votel noted he agreed with an analysis made Tuesday, by Lt. Gen. Steve Townsend, that concluded there is a “fair chance” US operations are to blame for the killings.
“We take every obligation seriously and are executing a well-developed process to assess, and if necessary, investigate each of these allegations,” Votel said.
He added that the assessment would look into command and control over the operations in question, the munitions used, and the intelligence gathered. CENTCOM is also reviewing over 700 weapon systems’ videos to better understand “the effects of the munitions we drop in this vicinity.”
Despite the fact-finding mission ongoing, Votel did pin some blame for civilian deaths on the Islamic State (ISIL).
“It is important to clearly recognize that the enemy does use human shields,” the commander told lawmakers. He went on to say that ISIL disregards human life and uses civilian casualty allegations as “a tool to hinder our operations.”
“So they bear responsibility for this as well,” Votel claimed.
The UK-based transparency project, Airwars.org, which tracks coalition airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, has identified a sharp rise in civilian deaths in recent months.
“Civilian casualties rose during the last months of the Obama administration and are now accelerating further under the presidency of Donald Trump,” the group reported last week, “suggesting possible key changes in US rules of engagement, which are placing civilians at greater risk.”
Airwars further stated that “the intensity of strikes in 2017—notably around Raqqa and Mosul—has no precedent.”
During Wednesday’s hearing, Votel confirmed that he was aware of the Airwars reporting, but denied CENTCOM had loosened restrictions on targeting civilians. And he received an assist from the committee’s chairman, Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas).
“There is widespread reporting that the rules of engagement have changes and the implication is now we are carelessly dropping bombs and killing civilians,” Thornberry told Votel. “But as I thought I heard you state pretty clear, the rules of engagement have not changed, is that correct?”
“That is correct,” the commander responded.
According to Airwars, there were 454 coalition strikes that resulted in civilian causalities last year. The group has already identified 245 similar “civilian casualty events” so far in 2017.
“At this pace, the number of alleged Coalition incidents this year could surpass 800,” Airwars estimated.
President Trump commissioned the Pentagon to review the current military strategy toward ISIL. During his election campaign, Trump called for an intensification in the fight against the extremist group, often without providing details.
“[I would] bomb the shit out of them,” Trump said at a rally in November 2015.
