Pentagon review finds 12 civilians were killed, 5 injured last year in U.S. military operations

The Defense Department's annual report on civilian deaths in connection with U.S. military operations revealed that 12 civilians died during Americans operations, along with five more who sustained injuries, throughout 2021.

The report attributes all injuries and deaths to four incidents in Afghanistan during that year and one in Somalia. The first two incidents occurred in Afghanistan during January 2021, including an air operation in Herat on Jan. 8 resulting in one civilian fatality and another air operation in Kandahar during which two civilians sustained injuries.

Of the remaining Afghan fatalities, one was incurred in Kandahar during an air operation on Aug. 11 while the remaining 10 occurred on Aug. 29 as part of an air operation over Kabul.

Throughout the month of August, the Taliban stormed long-contested regions in the Central Asian country and rapidly ousted the U.S.-backed government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. While doubtless many more civilians died during that campaign, the DoD report only counts civilian injuries or deaths due to the use of U.S.-operated weapons.

The final three injuries occurred on Jan. 1 during an air strike in Somalia. Also included in the report were a series of updates related to operations in Syria spanning from 2018 to 2020. A total of six incidents during that period resulted in 18 civilian casualties and 10 killed.