A/HRC/38/44/Add.1 Mosul. ISF and members of the Iraqi Terrorism Service had been seen in the area four nights prior to the discovery and gunshots had been heard. 22 C. Coalition Forces 33. Coalition Forces operating under the United States-led Combined Joint Task Force/Operation Inherent Resolve have been active in the fight against ISIL in Iraq and the Syrian Arab Republic since their establishment in October 2014. They have provided air support to military operations carried out by ISF and affiliated forces on several occasions resulting in an unknown — but believed to be high — number of civilian casualties. 34. According to their own estimates, at least 841 civilians have been unintentionally killed by Coalition strikes since the start of the operation, with 485 cases still inconclusive. 23 Airstrikes conducted as part of the battle against ISIL in Mosul (and involving the Iraqi Air Force) caused a significant part of that number. The total number of civilian casualties from airstrikes during the whole campaign for Mosul was reported at 1,091.24 Of this number, the Coalition stated responsibility for 295 deaths. However, there are indications that the actual number of civilian casualties caused by the battle for Mosul between October 2016 and July 2017 is much higher, at around 10,000, of which at least 3,200 are alleged to have been caused by Coalition Forces. 35. In one single airstrike alone, conducted in Western Mosul on 17 March 2017 targeting two ISIL snipers, a high number of civilians were killed. An investigation launched by the Iraqi authorities and Coalition Forces found that at least 105 civilians had been killed and 36 remained unaccounted for. Witness statements indicated that victims had been forcibly placed in the building by ISIL fighters. The investigation found ISIL had placed explosive materials in the structure of the building and that this in part caused the high number of casualties.25 D. Kurdistan region 36. The Kurdistan region is host to a large internally displaced population, which significantly increased during the battle for Mosul when residents were forced to flee en masse to save their lives. During the screening process at checkpoints, meant to separate civilians from possible combatants, boys and men have faced particular scrutiny. It is reported that they faced arbitrary arrests by Kurdish security forces and in some cases were forcibly disappeared. There are also reports of retaliatory attacks by Kurdish security forces and associated Peshmerga and Yazidi armed groups against Sunni Arab civilians and their property following the recapture of territory. 26 Dozens of juveniles remain detained by the Kurdish authorities under the counter-terrorism regime, which, due to a lack of procedural guarantees, places them at risk of human rights violations, including death in detention. This risk is increased by the severely limited access of local and international organizations to detention facilities, rendering monitoring of the situation almost impossible. 22 23 24 25 26 On 5 January 2018, the Special Rapporteur sent a follow-up letter containing summaries of this and other cases to the Government requesting detailed information on investigations conducted, and outcomes, if any. No response had been received at the time of finalization of the present report. See www.inherentresolve.mil. UNAMI/OHCHR, “Report on the protection of civilians in the context of the Ninewa Operations and the retaking of Mosul City: 17 October 2016-10 July 2017”, p. 9. Ibid. pp. 37-38. UNAMI/OHCHR, “Human Rights in Iraq: July–December 2016”, p. 5, and “Protection of Civilians in the Armed Conflict in Iraq: 1 November 2015–30 September 2016”, p. 17. 9