(HorizonPost.com) – During any war, civilian casualties unfortunately occur, and it’s up to the Pentagon to accurately report the numbers to the public. Unfortunately, the New York Times claims to have uncovered errors in reporting the numbers stemming from a US military report in April 2017. More than 30 people allegedly died when an American-led coalition operation struck the neighborhood of Siha in Mosul. According to the New York Times, assessment officers failed to complete a simple Google search to learn about the alleged target in West Mosul and quickly dismissed the claim without further review.
The United States military failed to conduct even the most simple internet searches before dismissing reports of civilian casualties, our investigation of confidential Pentagon documents reveals. https://t.co/nRn1wjR0YX
— Christiaan Triebert (@trbrtc) December 31, 2021
The Times also analyzed Pentagon documents and determined US military assessors disregarded many allegations of civilian casualties in the Middle East. Former Pentagon senior intelligence analyst Marc Garlasco called the incidents “completely negligent.”
Further investigation by the New York Times revealed the Pentagon’s flawed assessments dismissed more than 1,100 reports of civilian casualties as noncredible from 2014 through 2018.
After reviewing about 80 previous assessments, the paper concluded simple mistakes, language barriers, and improper handling of evidence possibly led to incorrect conclusions about the fate of innocent people during airstrikes overseas.
If the investigation is accurate, the Pentagon may need to reevaluate its process of determining the number of civilian casualties and work to keep the number to a minimum going forward.
Copyright 2022, HorizonPost.com
