News item | 14-03-2025 | 15:45
On behalf of the cabinet, Defense Minister Brekelmans today responded to the report of the Sorgdrager committee. He investigated an air raid in Hawija, Iraq, in 2015 against a car bomber factory of the terror organization ISIS. Although the government is of the opinion that the attack was lawful, it is terrible that civilian casualties nevertheless had fallen unintentionally and a lot of damage was caused. The cabinet regrets this and apologizes for this. Brekelmans transferred it to the mayor of Hawija this week.
The independent investigation into the attack and the aftermath was commissioned by Defense and at the request of the House of Representatives.
The committee concluded that during the attack on the ISIS target white (sheds with (suicide) bomb cars) in Hawija, the presence of a large amount of explosive dust has gone unnoticed by the intelligence services. At least 70 civilian casualties have fallen.
The investigation report deals with the way in which accountability was given about this weapon deployment at the time. From decision -making on the deployment and design of the mission to the accountability towards the Lower House, mistakes have been made. The cabinet finds the conclusions that the Commission draws on this firmly and painful. In line with predecessors, the cabinet therefore again apologizes, not only for the incorrect and incomplete information of the House of Representatives, but also for the fact that it took so long before all information was available.
Take
In a war with an aggressor such as ISIS, there is always loss and damage, but there is a responsibility for the Ministry of Defense to prevent this as much as possible. Defense has already taken several steps in recent years. At the same time, the government acknowledges that this development is still in full swing. This report helps the government to take additional steps based on new insights.
For example, the Netherlands is working on a better intelligence position during missions and strives for more transparency. It is also considered whether more information can be provided about Dutch weapons deployment during missions. In addition, work is being done on further improving information management. The Ministry of Defense is also willing to make an inventory of whether it is possible to make additional resources available for additional projects that can help the Community in Hawija in a general sense. In consultation with, among others, local authorities, it will be determined whether and how these resources can be used.
Operation Inherent Resolve
In January 2014, ISIS quickly advanced in Iraq and Syria. The terror group sowed fear and imposed strict salafist rules. The Iraqi government asked support from the international community for the war against the terror group. That led to Oir. The Netherlands contributed twice to the air campaign of the operation. In total, Dutch F-16s carried out around 3,000 missions. More than 2,100 times weapons were used. The Netherlands thus made an important contribution to combating ISIS.