The hidden Pentagon reports obtained by the New York Times indicated the US military waged a failed air war in the Middle East on many occasions.
Ranging from Syria airstrikes of 2016 to Iraq’s bombing of 2017, the report suggested a pattern of falsely conducted airstrikes that resulted in a lot of civilian casualties.
US controversial bombings in the Middle East unveiled in Times’ report
According to the New York Times report, the US special operation bombed the so-called “staging areas” of ISIS on July 19, 2016, late at night. Consequently, over 120 villagers were bombed, majorly farmers, which made the strikes controversial.
Likewise, in 2017, the US warplane struck down a vehicle carrying a family fleeing the nearby warring territory. Reportedly, US intelligence said the car had a bomb in it, claims which were later found bogus, according to Times.
The front page #OTD in 1998. President Clinton orders American and British airstrikes on Iraq. #nytimes pic.twitter.com/cuDJoI6mBT
— New York Times OTD (@OnThisDayNYT) December 18, 2021
Similarly, in November 2015, the US airforces bombed a building in Iraq, as the planes saw a person dragging a so-called heavy object in an ISIS defending building. After the strike, reports emerged that the person was dragging a dead child in the building who was killed by violence nearby.
However, the issue did not come into the limelight until recently when the New York Times obtained secret Pentagon archives that noted Americans failed overseas operations in the Middle East since 2014.
The documents outlined the false intelligence reports which the US military had during its operations, negating America’s concept of bringing peace overseas.
US bombing increased during Obama’s tenure
Despite the Pentagon’s sophisticated algorithms of examining the civilian casualties in parallel to the pledges of transparency, the system managed to eyewash people from the happenings.
To add fuel to the fire, not even a single record showed any failed airstrikes paved the way for systematic opacity and a punishment to those involved. Likewise, only a small number of condolences were offered in the aftermath of unfortunate incidents.
The deadly air campaign of the United States intensified during Barack Obama’s tenure, which often championed human rights. However, it was reduced by historic numbers during Trump’s era.
Despite the deadly nature of his airstrikes, the Democrat president called it “the most precise in American history.” He noted that America’s “extraordinary” technology neutralized the right people by not harming the wrong ones.
However, the Pentagon reports suggested otherwise. American airstrikes overseas have often raised the eyebrows of the human rights watchdogs, who want it to be controlled.
A recent deadly bombing on Afghanistan civilians is an addition to Democrat-led bombings overseas, which killed ten civilians, including children. Reportedly, the Biden administration has announced impunity to all those involved.
As the #Biden administration appears to be ramping up airstrikes in #Syria, Congress needs to do a full review of the American role in the country’s decade-long civil war https://t.co/zZM6vgqZQS #HumanRights #WarCrimes pic.twitter.com/DH2UJLWPAB
— World BEYOND War (@WorldBeyondWar) December 12, 2021
The same is the case with the 2019 Syria bombings, which the relevant authorities tried to keep secret from the public view.
Bill Urban, the spokesman for the US Central Command, noted the country tries to learn from its mistakes that can happen even with the best technology available.
