According to a report — the first of a two-part series — published by the New York Times on Saturday, a trove of confidential documents covering more than 1,300 reports of civilian casualties undercuts Washington’s claims of aerial raids with “all-seeing” drones, precision strikes and smart bombs.
The Times said US forces carried out more than 50,000 airstrikes in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria over a five-year period.
In compiling its report, the daily newspaper said its reporters had “visited more than 100 casualty sites and interviewed scores of surviving residents and current and former American officials.”