US military actions killed nearly 500 civilians in Trump’s first year: report

The Pentagon estimates that nearly 500 civilians were killed by U.S. military actions in President Trump’s first year as commander in chief, CNN reported.

The Defense Department (DOD) “assesses that there are credible reports of approximately 499 civilians killed and approximately 169 civilians injured during 2017” as a result of military operations in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Yemen, according to a report sent to Congress. 

That number could rise, as “more than 450 reports of civilian casualties from 2017 remained to be assessed.” 

The report also said DOD has “no credible reports” of civilian casualties in 2017 from U.S. military operations in Somalia or Libya. 

“Despite the best efforts of U.S. forces, civilian casualties are a tragic but at times unavoidable consequence of combat operations,” the report said.

“This is especially true when fighting in urban areas and against adversaries like [the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria] and al-Qaeda who use civilians as shields and whose tactics include intentionally endangering the lives of innocents.” 

The document details deaths from U.S. airstrikes — attacks that increased by the thousands in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Somalia during Trump’s first year — as well as ground combat operations.

A 2016 executive order signed by President Obama mandated the report by calling for an annual summary on “the number of strikes undertaken by the U.S. Government against terrorist targets located outside areas of active hostilities.” 

The summary was also to include “the range of assessed combatant and non-combatant deaths resulting from those strikes,” and was to be made public “annually on May 1, consistent with the need to protect sources and methods.” 

Monitor groups have often slammed the military and accused it of seriously undercounting the number of civilians killed in the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

The U.S.-led coalition this week acknowledged that its actions had resulted in 892 civilian deaths since the start of the war in 2014, according to its latest monthly report.

But monitor Airwars claims that at least 6,259 civilians have been killed by the coalition since the start of the war.