US and allied strikes against the Islamic State may have killed as many as 6000 civilians in 2017, as international forces pushed militants out of strongholds in Iraq and Syria, a watchdog group said Thursday.
"In 2017 the war against ISIS [Islamic State] moved into the most densely-populated urban centres controlled by the group, with dire results for civilians," Airwars said in a new report summarising its investigations for the year, which it called the "deadliest yet" for Iraqis and Syrians.
The terrorist group Islamic State drew Western nations into a new Middle Eastern conflict after it captured large swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014.
Airwars, which investigates civilian casualty allegations using social media and other information, said that between 3923 and 6102 noncombatants were "likely killed" in air and artillery strikes by the United States and its partners in 2017.
While the Airwars data includes strikes by the United States and partner nations including Britain, Australia and France, most of the military activity has been conducted by American forces.
The group's estimate is vastly higher than the figure put forward by US Central Command, which conducts its own investigations of selected US strikes.
Australia announced in December it had ended its contribution to the air strikes in Iraq and Syria, recalling six super hornet strike aircraft. It continues operations with support aircraft and the Army's training mission.
The alleged increase in civilian deaths took place as the United States and partner forces conducted major operations to recapture the city of Mosul, the militants' most important stronghold in Iraq, and Raqqa, the Syrian city where they launched their drive to establish an Islamic caliphate.
Islamic State militants frequently positioned themselves among civilians and prevented residents from moving around areas they controlled. Both the Australian Defence Force and US military officials have acknowledged the challenge of avoiding unintended deaths in large-scale operations in tightly packed urban areas.
"The Australian Defence Force is acutely aware of the brutal tactics used by Daesh and we do our utmost to ensure civilians are clear of targeted locations before and during air strikes," a spokesperson told Fairfax Media.
"All ADF personnel operate under strict rules of engagement designed to protect our forces, minimise the risk of injury to civilians and strictly comply with Australia's obligations under domestic and international law."
The coalition does "everything within its power to limit harm to noncombatants and civilian infrastructure," Pentagon spokesperson Eric Pahon added. "We regularly issue strike reports and civilian casualty reports, including results of credible and non-credible allegations, as well as those still pending assessment, on our public-facing website for the world to see."
The ADF also publishes monthly reports that track the number of missions and munitions. These reports are regularly aggregated with data from participating coalition nations.
The Pentagon has pushed back against a perception in early 2017, when observer groups reported an apparent surge in civilian casualties, that it had altered rules guiding the US air campaign.