Iraqi Government & US-Led Coalition: Serious Failure to Protect Civilians

IS tactics and violations created particular challenges for pro-government forces in terms of civilian protection in west Mosul. Iraqi government and US-led coalition forces failed to adequately adapt their tactics to these challenges - as required by international humanitarian law - with disastrous consequences for civilians. Starting in January 2017, pro-government forces carried out a series of unlawful attacks in west Mosul, relying heavily on explosive weapons with wide area effects such as IRAMs (Improvised Rocket Assisted Munitions). With their crude targeting abilities, these weapons wreaked havoc in densely-populated west Mosul and took the lives of thousands of civilians. Amnesty International investigated 45 pro-government attacks and found that these alone killed at least 426 civilians. The true death toll of the west Mosul battle may never be known.

Pro-government forces also failed to take effective precautions to protect civilians when planning and executing attacks. They did air-drop leaflets into IS-controlled areas of the city, instructing civilians to stay away from IS or to hang children's clothes on the roof to mark civilian homes. These warnings, however, took little account of the realities of living under IS. Staying away from IS was impossible for west Mosul residents and fighters would execute anyone caught with a flyer in their hands. Houses with children's clothes on the roof were still hit by air strikes.

The strikes targeted the IS snipers. A strike would destroy an entire house of two storeys. They’d hit one house and also destroy the two houses on either side. They killed a huge number of people. Mohamed from al-Tenak neighbourhood, west Mosul

Health professionals have noted that patients from west Mosul often had blast-related injuries, a phenomenon associated with the use of powerful explosive weapons in civilian areas. It is inconceivable that pro-government forces were unaware of IS tactics, the concentration of civilians in areas coming under attack, or the terrible cost to civilian life of using explosive weapons with wide-area effects in these areas.