The air strike took place in 2016 as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, a US-led mission in Iraq and Syria aimed at defeating the terrorist group Islamic State. The mission was regularly criticised because, according to civil society organisations, the actual number of civilian casualties was many times higher than the states themselves claimed. The Netherlands had previously been forced to eat humble pie when it emerged that information about civilian deaths, caused during operations in Hawija and Mosul in 2015, had been withheld for a long time. An independent commission also criticised the Ministry of Defence’s lack of proactive investigation, particularly regarding the attack on Hawija.
Improvement process for civilian casualty policy
Since 2020, the Ministry of Defence has been implementing an improvement process, which has involved engaging in dialogue with a group of civil society organisations and academics – led by PAX from 2020 to 2025. This led to several improvements to Dutch civilian casualty policy, particularly regarding the provision of transparent information to the House of Representatives. When NRC brought another case to light in 2023 concerning civilian deaths potentially caused by the Netherlands, this immediately served as a test to see how the implemented improvements would work in practice. According to reports, Dutch military personnel had bombed a university building in Mosul on the assumption that it was an IS headquarters. In reality, the building turned out to be used as a residence and seven civilians were killed.
Conclusions of the internal investigation
In 2023, the Ministry of Defence launched an internal investigation, the results of which were announced yesterday. The Netherlands now states that, ‘in all likelihood’, seven civilians were indeed killed in the attack and that the building was not a legitimate military target. The Minister also reports that Ministry of Defence staff have travelled to Mosul to conduct an on-site investigation and to interview witnesses and relatives of the victims. This is a major step forward and, unfortunately, still too rare an occurrence on the international stage.
It is also commendable that the Netherlands, through Minister Yesilgöz-Zegerius, has offered an apology to the bereaved families. The Netherlands is also offering financial compensation. This is particularly important as a sign of remorse and to provide both symbolic and material support to the victims – who are often still grappling with the aftermath of the conflict.
Although the Netherlands has also acknowledged responsibility for civilian casualties in the Hawija case and offered an apology, financial compensation has not yet been provided for those victims. We hope that this investigation marks the start of a new direction for the Ministry of Defence and that the Ministry will also take steps to provide compensation for survivors and bereaved families in the Hawija case.
