|
John,
I emailed you last week about the civilian death toll in Raqqa, and the U.S.-led coalition’s claim to only 10% of 1,600 civilian deaths. Now, I want to tell you about the U.S. role in Somalia’s war.
The U.S. military’s mantra was zero civilian casualties in Somalia. Amnesty investigators traveled to Somalia and conducted more than 150 interviews with eyewitnesses, relatives and expert sources — including the U.S. military. Our investigators also rigorously analyzed satellite imagery, munition fragments and photos from the aftermath of airstrikes.
What we found is shocking: there were 14 civilians killed and 8 civilians injured in just five of the more than 100 air strikes carried out by the U.S. military in the past two years.
These findings suggest there may have been violations of international human rights law. If there were, we must ensure reparations are made to victims and survivors.
Join me in taking action now: demand the U.S. government investigate all civilian casualties from U.S. air strikes in Somalia.
We cannot let governments — who caused so much pain and suffering — cover up their actions. That’s why the work Amnesty does — investigating human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law — is so critical.
I cannot stand for the lack of transparency in this hidden U.S. war in Somalia any longer. The U.S. government must enable affected communities to self-report civilian casualties, and it must thoroughly investigate all claims and report the results publicly.
|
