US Issues First Apology for Syrian

Civilian Deaths
june 10, 2015

USairstrikesonHasakah,Syria2015.PhotoCredit:USCentralCommand

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OnMay 21,theUnitedStatesCentralCommand(CentCom)issueda
statementadmittingthattwoSyrianchildrendiedasaresultofUS
airstrikeswhichtargetedtheKhorasanGroup,anAlQaedaaffiliate,
nearAleppolastNovember.Sixmonthsofinvestigationsresultedin
USCentComspublicapology,withLieutenantGeneralJames
Terrystating,Weregrettheunintentionallossoflives.
Theacknowledgementofciviliancasualtieswasthefirstsincethe
UnitedStatesbeganitscampaignagainsttheIslamicStateofIraqand
alSham(ISIS)andothermilitantgroupsinAugust2014.Lieutenant
GeneralTerrysstatementsetanimportantprecedentfortheaerial

operationsinSyria,buthisimpersonalmessagecamesolateafterthe
airstrikesthattheimpacthaslargelybeenlostonthelocalpopulation.
DuringWorldWarII,theUSgovernmentpassedtheForeign
Claims Act,whichallowednonUScitizenstorequestcompensation
fordamagescausedbyU.S.militarypersonnel.Althoughthelawis
onlyapplicableinsituationswheredamageoccurredoutsidethe
battlefield,CentComhashistoricallyissuedapologiesandcondolence
payments(alsoknownassolatia)forinjuriesthatoccurredduring
combatdatingbacktotheVietnam War.Thetraditionof
condolencepaymentscontinuedduringthewarsinAfghanistanand
IraqwhentheUSDepartmentofDefensedevelopedtheMoneyAsA
WeaponsSystem(MAAWS).Condolencepaymentsareminimal(a
maximumof$2,500inIraq),andtheUSmilitarymakesclearthatthe
tokencompensationdoesnotserveasanadmissionoflegalliability.
Rather,theUSmilitaryregardstheapologyandaccompanying
compensationasawaytosympathizewithvictimsandrepairtieswith
thelocalcommunity.
Modernwarfare,however,hasintroducedtheuseofdrones,whereby
foreigntroopsarenotphysicallypresentinthecountryand,therefore,
aredisconnectedfromlocalcommunities.InSyria,Pakistan,and
Yemen,forexample,theUnitedStateshasconductedaerialoperations
thathaveresultedindirectharmtocivilians,butthemilitaryhasnot
extendedthesolatiaprogramtothesecountries.Evenapologiesare
rare.Thus,althoughLieutenantGeneralTerryspublicapologydid
notaccompanyacondolencepaymenttothefamiliesofthetwochild
victims,itsetaninterestingprecedentthatcanandshouldbefollowed
fortherestofthe131 civiliandeaths,42ofwhomhavebeen
children,resultingfromcoalitionairstrikesinSyria.

Underthetransitionaljusticeframework,publicapologiesarea
symbolicformofreparationsintendedtoprovidethevictimswith
closureorhealing.Simplyrecognizingtheharmgoesalongway
towardsbuildinglocalsupportandtrustwithinthecommunityand
redressingtheaffectedpopulation.Thishaslongtermbenefitsin
contributingtopeacebuildingwithinthesocietybecauseitlessensthe
desireforrevengeattacks.However,apublicapologyisonlyonetype
oftransitionaljusticetoolandshouldbenotviewedasfullredressto
thevictimsandtheirfamilies.Inaddition,publicapologiescanbetoo
publicthus,impersonalandmaynotevenreachthefamiliesor
communitiesthatwereaffected.Apublicapologyaccompaniedbya
privateletterorvisittothevictimtopersonallyprovideanexplanation
andcompensationismorelikelytobringclosuretovictimsand
positivelyimpacttheirabilitytomoveforward.
Publicapologiesandcompensationalsoneedtobetransparentand
timelyinordertohaveameaningfulimpact.Ifthereisconfusion
aboutwhycertaininjuriesresultinapologiesorwhypropertydamage
iscompensatedequaltolossoflife,thenvictimswillnotfeellike
theirgrievancesareactuallybeingaddressed.Moreover,CentComs
recentinvestigationandpublicapologycamesixmonthsafterthe
incidentoccurred,decreasingitsimpactasaformofrecognitionfor
harmdone.Ina2007interview,GeneralDavid
Petraeusexplainedtheimportanceoftiming,Thequickeryoucan
doit,themoreresponsiveyoucanseemtobe.Andofcoursethemore
concernedyouare,themorevaluableitis
Nonetheless,CentComspublicapologyprovidesasmallmeasureof
accountabilityandsetsanexampleforthecoalitiontofollowforthe
investigationandrecognitionofallotherciviliancasualties.Credible

documentationgroupscan contributevaluableinformationtothese
investigationsandspeeduptheprocessbywhichmilitariesrespondto
civiliandeaths.AndwhileCentComsapologyisanimportantfirst
stepforthecoalitionforces,itisstillalongwayfromaddressingthe
longstandinggrievancesofSyriansandtheneedforaholistic
transitionaljusticeprocessthatcanrespondtoviolationscommitted
byallpartiestotheconflict.
FormoreinformationandtoprovidefeedbackpleaseemailSJAC
atinfo@syriaaccountability.org.