The U.S. government spends $20 billion every year building the security capacity of foreign governments – more than double the amount it spent in the…
Over the last year, violence within Niger, in particular attacks against civilians along its extensive border with Mali and Burkina Faso, has been increasing. Despite the worrying trends, Niger has performed better than its neighbors in managing the interlocking conflicts, and the government and its people possess resiliencies which can, and should, be built upon.…
SECURITY ASSISTANCE AND ARMS SALES A US-based training program for Afghan attack pilots has ended after more than 40 percent of the trainees went absent without leave, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction said this week. The remaining students returned to Afghanistan to complete training. Only one class graduated from the program. The State…
It’s easy to see why counterinsurgency campaigns tread carefully around local bystanders. It’s no less important in larger-scale war. As the U.S. military shifts its focus from counterinsurgency to large-scale combat against near-peer competitors, the value of preventing civilian harm in the battle for “hearts and minds” has been largely displaced by an emphasis on the speed and decisiveness…
By: Dan Mahanty and Rita Siemion The Pentagon’s latest annual report on civilian casualties, released this morning, lists shockingly low numbers of reported casualties that the Department of Defense has assessed as “credible,” reflecting a need for better processes for determining how many civilians the United States is killing. While the report contains some improvements in reporting standards…
At least 13 civilians, mostly children, were killed and more than 100 injured when Saud-led coalition strikes hit a school in Sana last week. The Coalition denied carrying out any strikes, but the state-run news agency in Aden said the Houthis had stored weapons in a nearby warehouse. SECURITY ASSISTANCE AND ARMS SALES The State…
AFGHANISTAN The New York Times documented 10 civilian deaths in Afghanistan between March 28 and April 4. A report by The Economist describes the disputed civilian death toll from US operations in Somalia, Afghanistan, and the Middle East. The uncertainty may stem from America’s reliance on local forces on the ground, which limits the military…
By: Dan Mahanty and Alex Moorehead In a recent essay, retired Major General Charles J. Dunlap Jr. argues that the release of official estimates of the numbers of civilians harmed in U.S. counterterrorism operations is more likely to “confuse” a public when it comes to assessing the “propriety of the use of force.” Yet Dunlap—who is not…
AFGHANISTAN At least 14 civilians, mostly women and children, were killed in an airstrike on Saturday in Kunduz province. The New York Times recorded 12 civilian deaths in Afghanistan between March 15 and 21. YEMEN More than 231 civilians have been killed in Yemen by airstrikes, shelling, snipers, and landmines – at least three people…