The Law of War

2003–2011: Iraq War
During the Iraq War
Blackwater Baghdad shootings On September 16, 2007, Blackwater military
contractors shot and killed 17 Iraqi civilians in Nisour Square, Baghdad. The
fatalities occurred while a Blackwater Personal Security Detail (PSD) was
escorting a convoy of US State Department vehicles en route to a meeting
in western Baghdad with United States Agency for International
Development officials. The shooting led to the unraveling of the North Carolinabased
company, which since has replaced its management and changed its
name to Xe Services.
Beginning in 2004, accounts of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse,
including torture, rape, sodomy, and homicide of prisoners held in the Abu
Ghraib prison in Iraq (also known as Baghdad Correctional Facility) came to
public attention. These acts were committed by military police personnel of
the United States Army together with additional US governmental agencies. In
January 2014, evidence accuses British troops of being involved in widespread
torture and abuse towards Iraqi civilians and prisoners.
War crimes: 2006 al-Askari Mosque bombing by Al-Queda. The bombing was
followed by retaliatory violence with over a hundred dead bodies being found the
next day and well over 1,000 people killed in the days following the bombing – by
some counts, over 1,000 on the first day alone.
War crimes: Iraqi insurgent groups have committed many armed attacks and
bombings targeting civilians. According to Iraqi Interior Minister Bayan
Jabr insurgents killed over 12,000 Iraqis from January 2005 to June 2006, giving
the first official count for the victims of bombings, ambushes and other deadly
attacks. See: Iraq War insurgent attacks, List of suicide bombings in Iraq since
2003 and List of massacres of the Iraq War for a more comprehensive list.
2006 Lebanon War
Allegations of war crimes in the 2006 Lebanon War refer to claims of various groups
and individuals, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and United
Nations officials, who accused both Hezbollah and Israel of violating international
humanitarian lawduring the 2006 Lebanon War, and warned of possible war
crimes. These allegations included intentional attacks on civilian
populations or infrastructure, disproportionate or indiscriminate attacks in densely
populated residential districts.
According to various media reports, between 1,000 and 1,200 Lebanese citizens were
reported dead; there were between 1,500 and 2,500 people wounded and over
1,000,000 were temporarily displaced. Over 150 Israelis were killed (120 military);
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