war crime
UN experts say grounds to believe US committed war crimes in Iran strikes
Image caption, At least 156 people, including 120 children, were killed in February's strike on the primary school in Minab UN human rights experts say there are reasonable grounds to believe the US committed war crimes in two strikes in Iran that killed at least 177 civilians. A new report by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, external said February's missile strikes on a primary school in Minab and a sports complex in Lamerd constituted indiscriminate attacks causing civilian deaths and damage to civilian infrastructure. There was no immediate comment from the US. It has previously denied striking Lamerd and said it is investigating what happened in Minab. The experts also found Iranian authorities committed crimes against humanity during a crackdown on mass anti-government protests in January.
Afghan inquiry into alleged SAS war crimes has already cost 58m, MoD figures show
An inquiry into allegations British Special Forces murdered unarmed Afghan civilians has cost UK taxpayers £58m, figures from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) show. When the inquiry was launched in 2023, its chair Lord Justice Haddon-Cave said it would aim to report, at least on an interim basis, within 12-18 months. However, the inquiry has now been running for more than three and a half years, and has yet to publish any findings. In a statement, the inquiry said its work was greater and more complex than it originally envisaged. It added that delays by the MoD in disclosing information had also affected the timetable.
Aid reaches Sudan's Kordofan as over 30 countries alarmed by drone attacks
Aid reaches Sudan's Kordofan as over 30 countries alarmed by drone attacks United Nations aid trucks have reached an area in Sudan that has been cut off from relief efforts amid warnings that deadly drone strikes are making the hunger crisis in that part of the country worse. The UN said on Wednesday that its aid trucks had reached Dilling and Kadugli, in central Sudan's Kordofan region, with "life-saving" humanitarian supplies. "Dilling and the nearby city of Kadugli have been largely cut off from aid for more than two years, leaving communities with severe shortages of humanitarian assistance," the UN said. The aid delivery came as more than 30 countries issued a statement on Wednesday expressing "grave concern" at a recent "severe escalation" in drone attacks amid "heavy fighting" in the Darfur and Kordofan regions. The 28 European Union countries, plus Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, warned that "intentional attacks" against aid workers and "wilfully impeding" relief supplies, "may amount to war crimes".
Drone attack on busy market in Sudan kills at least 28
War in Sudan: Life returns to South Kordofan's Dilling but drones keep residents in fear Drone-fired missiles have hit a market in central Sudan's Kordofan region, killing at least 28 people and wounding dozens of others, a rights group says. Emergency Lawyers, a group tracking violence against civilians, said in a statement on Monday that drones bombed the al-Safiya market in the town of Sodari in North Kordofan state. "The attack occurred when the market was bustling with civilians, including women, children and the elderly," the group said. "The repeated use of drones to target populated areas shows a grave disregard for civilian lives and signals an escalation that threatens what remains of daily life in the province. Therefore, we demand an immediate halt to drone attacks by both sides of the conflict," the statement said.
More than 70,000 killed in Gaza since Israel offensive began, Hamas-run health ministry says
More than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. The death toll has continued to rise since a ceasefire took effect on 10 October, with Israel carrying out air strikes for what it says are violations of the truce - while bodies continue to be recovered from under the rubble. Among those reportedly killed in an Israeli drone strike on Saturday were two young brothers, Fadi and Juma Abu Assi, whose family said they had been gathering firewood when they were killed. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told the BBC they had struck two suspects who had crossed the so-called yellow line. The line marks where the Israeli military agreed to withdraw to under a ceasefire brokered by the United States more than seven weeks ago.
Drone strike in besieged Sudan city kills at least 60 people
At least 60 people have been killed in a drone strike at a displacement shelter in el-Fasher, a besieged Sudanese city on the brink of collapse. The resistance committee for el-Fasher, made up of local citizens and activists, said the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) hit Dar al-Arqam camp, located within a university, with two drone strikes and eight artillery shells. Children, women and the elderly were killed in cold blood, and many were completely burned, a statement from the group said. Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic as rescuers pulled bodies from the rubble. Hospitals already struggling under months of siege have been overwhelmed, with doctors treating the wounded on floors and in corridors.
RSF storms cattle market and prison in 'death trap' Sudanese city
"What we're hearing is stories of horror and terror and weekly shelling, attacks on civilian infrastructure," Ms Vu told the BBC Newshour programme. "There are local volunteers - they are really struggling, risking their lives every day to try and provide a little bit of food for people who are mostly starving." Siddig Omar, a 65-year-old resident of el-Fasher, told the BBC the RSF entered the city on Friday from the south and south-west. The RSF, whose fighters have been mustering in trenches dug around the city, frequently attack el-Fasher. According to the army, this was their 220th offensive.
Russian drone attacks on Kharkiv, east Ukraine kill two and injure dozens
Russian drones have struck Ukraine's eastern city of Kharkiv, killing two people and wounding dozens, the city's mayor Ihor Terekhov has said. "For the second time in a week, the enemy launched a combined attack, launching seven'Shaheed' at residential areas, hospitals, and the city's infrastructure," Terekhov said in a Telegram message on Sunday, referring to Iranian-made Shahed drones. The swarm of drones also targeted a military hospital, a shopping centre and apartment blocks, he said. Five of the 35 people wounded in the attack overnight were children. At least 13 have been hospitalised, including a teenage girl who is in serious condition.
'AI-assisted genocide': Israel reportedly used database for Gaza kill lists
The Israeli military's reported use of an untested and undisclosed artificial intelligence-powered database to identify targets for its bombing campaign in Gaza has alarmed human rights and technology experts who said it could amount to "war crimes". The Israeli-Palestinian publication 972 Magazine and Hebrew-language media outlet Local Call reported recently that the Israeli army was isolating and identifying thousands of Palestinians as potential bombing targets using an AI-assisted targeting system called Lavender. "That database is responsible for drawing up kill lists of as many as 37,000 targets," Al Jazeera's Rory Challands, reporting from occupied East Jerusalem, said on Thursday. The unnamed Israeli intelligence officials who spoke to the media outlets said Lavender had an error rate of about 10 percent. "But that didn't stop the Israelis from using it to fast-track the identification of often low-level Hamas operatives in Gaza and bombing them," Challands said.