TAKE ACTION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

TELL THE U.S. GOVERNMENT: HELP CIVILIANS HARMED BY U.S. DRONE STRIKES

The U.S. Government claims it’s keeping Americans safe by using drones, air strikes and Special Forces operations to kill people it calls “militants” or “terrorists” around the world. But in reality, it has killed thousands of civilians, usually without explanation or any effort to compensate survivors or their families for their devastating losses.

In Somalia, Amnesty International has investigated U.S. air strikes since 2017 and found 21 civilians were killed and 11 injured.

Due to pressure by Amnesty International and others, the U.S. military has since April 2019 admitted to killing five Somali civilians and injuring 11 others in five separate air strikes. However, none of those families or victims have received justice or any form of reparation by the U.S. or by the Somali government. Congress has authorized funds specifically to assist civilian victims of U.S. military operations, but year after year, the Department of Defense does not spend them.

Amnesty International is now urging the U.S. military to help two particular families who’ve suffered tremendously from U.S. drone strikes.

On Feb. 2, 2020, in Jilib, Middle Juba, Somalia, a U.S. air strike killed Nurto Kusow Omar Abukar, an 18-year-old woman. At the same time, the U.S. strike injured her two younger sisters, 12-year-old Fatuma Kusow Omar Abukar and 7-year-old Adey Kusow Omar Abukar, and her grandmother, 70-year-old Khadija Mohamed Gedow.

Earlier, on April 1, 2018, in El-Bur, Galgadud, Somalia, a U.S. drone strike hit and killed 22-year-old Lul Dahir Mohamed and her daughter, 3-year-old Maryam Shilow Muse.

The U.S. military has acknowledged that all of these victims were civilians. Yet despite the efforts of each family to make contact with the US military command in Somalia — including going through the official complaints process made available by the Department of Defense — the military has not contacted their families, or offered any reparations or amends.

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Secretary

Lloyd

Austin

Dept. of Defense

Dear Secretary Austin,

Since early 2017, thousands of people have been killed by the U.S. government — by drones, fighter jets and Special Forces — including, reportedly, thousands of civilians. Yet there has been almost no accountability for these killings, or compensation to survivors and their communities, who have suffered tremendously as a result. The U.S. can’t fight “terrorism” by killing unnamed people around the world and assaulting human rights.

In addition to preventing future civilian harm, I call on the U.S. military to provide compensation for past civilian victims of U.S. lethal force.

The Department of Defense should start with specific cases of civilian harm that the U.S. military has acknowledged causing in Somalia. Amnesty International can connect your staff to those individuals, who have been left in dire straits and are eager for U.S. assistance.

On Feb. 2, 2020, in Jilib, Middle Juba, Somalia, a U.S. air strike killed Nurto Kusow Omar Abukar, an 18-year-old woman. At the same time, the U.S. strike injured her two younger sisters, 12-year-old Fatuma Kusow Omar Abukar and 7-year-old Adey Kusow Omar Abukar, and her grandmother 70-year-old Khadija Mohamed Gedow. Both Fatuma Kusow Omar Abukar and Khadija Mohamed Gedow sustained serious injuries that impacted their general health and mobility.

The family has submitted a request for amends to the Department of Defense. The U.S. military has admitted that all of these victims were civilians, yet has not made contact with the family, and has done nothing to assist or provide any form of compensation for them.

Earlier, on April 1, 2018, in El-Bur, Galgadud, Somalia, a U.S. drone strike hit and killed 22-year-old Lul Dahir Mohamed and her daughter, 3-year-old Maryam Shilow Muse. The U.S. military has acknowledged that these victims were civilians and not the military’s intended targets. Over the six years since the strike, the family has repeatedly tried to make contact with the U.S. military to seek amends for the death of Lul and her infant daughter, including going through their official reporting portal on three separate occasions. The U.S. government has not contacted their family or offered any reparations or amends.

The U.S. government will not protect American families by killing other people’s families around the world, without justification, accountability and assistance to those wrongfully harmed.

Congress has authorized funds specifically to assist civilian victims of U.S. military operations.  I urge you to use your authority to ensure that those funds are directed to provide amends to these Somali families who are suffering due to U.S. actions.

Yours sincerely,

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