A/HRC/29/51 54. In Iraq, there have been numerous reports of civilian casualties in air strikes and artillery operations attributed to Iraqi and associated forces, which raise serious questions as to the proportionality of those military operations. 105 In a welcome development, on 13 September 2014, the Prime Minister of Iraq ordered the Iraqi air force to suspend bombardments in civilian areas, including those controlled by ISIL, and expressed his commitment to protecting civilians.106 There are also confirmed instances in which Iraqi forces have dropped leaflets warning civilians to evacuate ISIL-controlled areas owing to impending military action. 55. In October 2013, the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic intensified its widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population of Aleppo for allegedly supporting or hosting armed groups. At the time of writing, government forces were employing a similar strategy in Ar-Raqqah, the “capital” of ISIL, with apparent disregard for the principle of distinction.107 It has been reported that civilians were killed in indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks by the Government on ISIL-controlled areas of Aleppo, Ar-Raqqah, Dayr az-Zawr and Al-Hasakah governorates.108 On 18 October 2014, in Minbej (Aleppo), government forces reportedly hit a bakery, killing approximately 25 civilians. In July 2014, in Al-Mayadin (Dayr az-Zawr), government air strikes seemingly targeted a municipal building being used as an ISIL base, but also hit a market, killing 13 civilians. On 3 September 2014, in Al-Shula (Dayr az-Zawr), a government jet struck an ISIL checkpoint and reportedly killed 21 civilians, most of them children. 56. The coalition rarely cites casualty data, although the chief of the Air Force of Jordan estimated in February 2015 that the alliance had killed 7,000 ISIL militants.109 In contrast, the coalition has conceded no non-combatant deaths in seven months of air strikes, despite clear indications to the contrary. Verification of fatalities remains difficult. That said, credible monitoring groups and media and social media sites in both Iraq and the Syrian Arab Republic have recorded casualties. A provisional analysis by the not-for-profit project Airwars.org indicates that an estimated 100 coalition air strikes (out of more than 3,000) had been flagged for concern by 27 March 2015. A non-combatant death toll as high as 420, with over 100 additional claimed “friendly fire” fatalities, were reported. These figures need to be treated with much caution as many are single-source incidents, are poorly reported or are linked to events in which the cause of death remains contested. Nevertheless, some cases are well-documented with eyewitness testimony, video and photographic evidence, missile fragments, named victims and/or confirmed coalition air strikes at the location. According to the United States Central Command, of the 38 incidents of concern it has examined, 34 have been discounted while four civilian casualty allegations are currently being investigated in three separate investigations. Even so, United States Central Command continues to insist that “no non-combatant deaths from coalition air strikes in either Iraq or Syria have officially been confirmed”. 110 This would appear highly questionable given the intensity of the air war and the accumulating evidence base. 105 106 107 108 109 110 18 See UNAMI/OHCHR, “Report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict in Iraq: 11 September–10 December 2014”, p. 17. See “Iraq’s prime minister halts airstrikes in civilian areas”, Deutsche Welle, 13 September 2014. Available from www.dw.de/iraqs-prime-minister-halts-airstrikes-in-civilian-areas/a-17920325. See A/HRC/28/69, para. 50. Ibid., annex. 2, para. 53. See “Jordan: ISIS lost 20% of its military capabilities”, Al Arabiya News, 8 February 2015. Available from http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/02/08/Jordan-ISIS-lost-20-of-its-militarycapabilities.html. On-the-record e-mail from United States Central Command spokesman Major Omar Villarreal, 25 March 2015.