Casualties

In September 2021, there were three incidents of explosive weapon use in Afghanistan, resulting in 11 civilian casualties, including two fatalities and nine injuries. All civilian casualties were caused by the detonation of IEDs, and 82% (9) of civilian casualties occurred in Nangarhar province. On 18 September, two civilians were killed, including one child, and three civilians injured, when three Islamic State IEDs targeted Taliban convoys in Jalalabad. There were an additional 30 armed-actor casualties. On 25 September, four civilians were injured, alongside four armed-actor casualties, in a roadside bomb blast that targeted a Taliban vehicle. 

Since the withdrawal of foreign military presence in Afghanistan and the Taliban’s takeover of the country, there has been a dramatic decrease in the number of incidents and casualties of explosive weapon use. Civilian casualties in 2021 reached a peak in May, with 693 civilians killed or injured in Afghanistan, after the United States’ announcement of the withdrawal of NATO forces from the country in September. In August, as Taliban forces gained control of several provincial capitals and NATO forces’ evacuation processes reached their final weeks, 451 civilians were killed or injured by explosive weapons in Afghanistan.  

Sources: Alarabiya, Times of India, The Journal, Independent

Casualties

There was one incident of explosive weapon use in Armenia in September 2021, resulting in the injury of one armed actor. On 28 September, shelling from Azerbaijani positions injured an Armenian soldier in the village of Kut, Gegarkunik. 

Sources: Caucasian Knot

Casualties

There was one incident of explosive weapon use in Burkina Faso in September 2021, resulting in 13 armed-actor casualties. There were no civilian casualties recorded this month. On 12 September, six armed actors were killed and seven injured in a roadside bomb attack by unknown, non-state actors on a convoy returning from a gold mine in Sakoani, Gourma. The attack also involved the use of firearms.  

Sources: Reuters, DW

Casualties

In September 2021, across three incidents, Burundi suffered a total of 80 casualties from explosive weapon use, all of whom were civilians. Eleven people were killed and 69 injured in three separate attacks, all involving the use of grenades. On 20 September, at least five people were killed and 50 injured in twin-grenade attacks on a bus station and market in Bujumbura, Burundi. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. This incident was the third grenade attack in the country in September. The day before, on Sunday 19 September, two civilians were killed and 15 injured in Burundi’s capital city, Gitega, when a grenade was thrown into a bar where politicians were gathered. 

The only other recorded incident of explosive weapon use in Burundi in 2021 took place in May, when two civilians were killed by a grenade attack at a bus station, again in Bujumbura. 

Sources: Reuters, Al Jazeera, Xinhua Net

Casualties

There was one incident of explosive weapon use in Cameroon in September 2021, resulting in at least 10 armed-actor fatalities. There were no confirmed civilian casualties recorded in Cameroon in September, though some reports refer to an unspecified number of civilians injured in an attack on 16 September. On 16 September, at least 10 soldiers were killed when their convoy came under attack by reported seperatist fighters using IEDs and rocket launchers, in Bamessing, Northwest Cameroon. 

Source: Reuters, Garda

Casualties

In September 2021, there were two incidents of explosive weapon use in Colombia, one of which caused four civilian fatalities, including one 13 year old girl. On 18 September, an airstrike conducted by Colombian armed forces targeting armed groups in Choco killed four civilians and eight members of Colombia’s National Liberation Army (ELN).

Sources: Reuters, UrduPoint

Casualties

In September 2021, Ecuador suffered 197 civilian casualties attributed to the use of explosive weapons, specifically grenades and IEDs, and firearms and improvised weapons in a riot that took place in a prison in Guayaqil, Guayas. Of these casualties, 118 were killed and 79 injured

Sources: Reuters, Guardian

Casualties

In September 2021, there were eight incidents of explosive weapon use in India, five of which resulted in civilian casualties. There were 12 civilian casualties recorded this month, five of which were reportedly children, including one fatality and 11 injuries. There were an additional four armed-actor casualties in India in September.  Four of the five incidents incurring civilian casualties took place in populated areas. Directly-emplaced weapons, specifically IEDs, caused two-thirds (eight) of all civilian casualties, while ground-launched weapons, specifically grenades, accounted for the four armed-actor casualties. 

The highest casualty incident this month took place on 12 September, when four civilians were injured, including a child, by an IED in a market in Patna, Bihar. The number of civilian casualties resulting from the use of explosive weapons in India in September has decreased substantially, down from 47 in August 2021. 

Sources: India Today, Times of India

Casualties

In September 2021, there were 33 incidents of explosive weapon use in Iraq, 14 of which resulted in 34 civilian casualties. Civilians accounted for 29% (34) of total casualties (116), including nine deaths and 25 injuries. The majority of civilian casualties, 71% (24), occurred in populated areas. 

Directly-emplaced weapons, specifically IEDs and roadside bombs, caused 65% (22) of the total civilian casualties, while air-launched weapons caused 21% (7), and ground-launched weapons caused 15% (5). When the perpetrator status was known, the majority of civilian casualties were caused by non-state actors. However, two civilians were killed and six injured by state actors, all by Turkish airstrikes. 

Diyala province, where nine civilians were killed or injured, had the highest number of incidents of explosive weapon use, with a total of nine incidents recorded this month. Erbil province had the highest number of civilian casualties (11), resulting from one incident. On 11 September, four people were killed, including three civilians and one armed actor, and nine civilians were injured by the detonation of an IED in an attack on a village in Khattab, Makhmour, Erbil. 

There were ten fewer civilian casualties resulting from the use of explosive weapons in Iraq recorded in September compared to August 2021. 

Sources: Rudaw, ISHM

Casualties

In September 2021, there were two incidents of explosive weapon use in Kenya, one of which caused two civilian fatalities, both children. On 21 September, the two children died from a victim-activated grenade blast after mistaking the explosive for a toy in a village in Merti, Isiolo. 

Sources: AllAfrica, K24

Casualties

In September 2021, there was one recorded incident of explosive weapon use in Libya, in which eight civilians were injured by a landmine in an urban residential area of the capital city Tripoli. All those injured were members of the same family, including six children and their parents, one man and one woman. The landmine was reportedly planted by a Russian-backed private security group.

Sources: Middle East Monitor, Daily Sabah

Casualties

There was one incident of explosive weapon use in Mali in September 2021, resulting in the death of four armed actors. On 20 September, four Malian soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in the Mopti region. 

Sources: AFP

Casualties

In September 2021, there was one recorded incident of explosive weapon use in Mexico, in which two civilians were killed and four injured, all men, in a bar in Salamanca, Guanajuato, when an IED was delivered by a motorcycle courier. The incident is being investigated as an act of terrorism related to rivalries between drug cartels. 

Sources: AP, Devdiscourse

Casualties

There were 17 recorded incidents of explosive weapon use in Myanmar in September 2021, 10 of which caused 39 civilian casualties. Civilians accounted for 62% (39) of all casualties (63), including 16 fatalities and 23 injuries, 12 of whom were reportedly children. There were an additional 24 recorded armed-actor casualties. All civilian casualties occurred in populated areas and the majority, 64% (25), were caused by ground-launched weapons, specifically artillery shelling and grenades. The remaining 36% (14) were caused by directly-emplaced weapons, specifically IEDs. State actors caused 14 civilian casualties, all perpetrated by Myanmar armed forces. Non-state actors of unknown affiliation caused 12 civilian casualties, and 13 civilian casualties were perpetrated by unknown actors. 

The deadliest incident of September 2021 took place on 9 September, when nine civilians were killed by the shelling of a village in Gangaw, Magway, by Myanmar armed forces. On 13 September, there were two attacks in Mandalay province that, combined, killed three civilians and injured 15. The most deadly attack occurred in Mandalay city where a grenade thrown at a police station in Kyauk Thabeik resulted in the death of two civilians and injury of 11 others, including seven civilians and four armed actors. In total, 20 of the 39 total civilian casualties occured in Mandalay province.

The number of civilian casualties resulting from the use of explosive weapons in Myanmar has more than tripled since August 2021, when explosive weapons used resulted in 11 civilian casualties. 

Sources: Myanmar Now, BNI 

Casualties

There was one incident of explosive weapon use in the Netherlands in September 2021, resulting in two armed-actor casualties. On 30 September, one member of a gang was killed and another injured while trying to blow up a cash machine with an IED in Utrecht. 

Sources: AFP

Casualties

In September 2021, there were four incidents of explosive weapons use, three of which resulted in 56 civilian casualties, including 11 fatalities and 69 injuries. Of these, 52 civilian casualties were caused by airstrikes carried out by the Nigerian Airforce, reportedly targeting armed groups. On 16 September, nine civilians were killed, including three children, and 23 injured, in an airstrike by the Nigerian Airforce on a village in Buhari, Yobe, near the border with Niger. On 26 September, 20 civilians, all fishermen, were killed by a Nigerian state airstrike in Dabara Masara, Borno, that reportedly targeted militants from an Islamic State-affiliated group.

September was the second highest month for civilian casualties in Nigeria in 2021, and the highest month this year for civilian casualties caused by state-actor use of explosive violence.

Sources: Reuters, The Washington Post, The Guardian, AfricaNews

Casualties

In September 2021, there were five incidents of explosive weapon use in Pakistan, three of which resulted in civilian casualties. Five civilian casualties were recorded this month, none of which were fatal. All civilian casualties occurred in incidents targeting armed state actors, specifically the military or police, in populated areas, with the use of grenades or IEDs. On 5 September, two civilians were injured, and four members of the military killed and 18 injured by a suicide bombing by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) at a security checkpoint in Quetta, Balochistan. 

September saw a significant decrease in the number of civilian casualties resulting from the use of explosive weapons in Pakistan from August 2021, in which 107 civilians were killed or injured by explosive weapon use. 

Sources: Al Jazeera, Dawn

Casualties

There were two incidents of explosive weapon use in the Philippines in September 2021, resulting in 10 civilian casualties, including one fatality and nine injuries. Both incidents involved the use of IEDs. On 18 September, one civilian was killed and seven injured, including one child, when an IED was detonated at a volleyball game in Datu Piang, Maguindanao. 

Sources: Manila Bulletin, Xinhua

Casualties

There was one incident of explosive weapon use in Saudi Arabia in September 2021, resulting in the injury of two civilians, both children. On 4 September, two children were injured by the fallen debris of six Houthi missiles that were shot down by Saudi armed forces above an urban residential area of Dammam. 

Sources: The News International, MENA FN

Casualties

In September 2021, there were four incidents of explosive weapon use in Somalia, which caused 48 civilian casualties, including 22 fatalities and 26 injuries. All incidents took place in populated areas and were perpetrated by non-state actors, primarily the insurgent group al-Shabaab. All civilian casualties in Somalia in September were caused by directly-emplaced weapons, specifically IEDs and a car bomb. Two of the four incidents were suicide attacks. The incident with the highest number of civilian casualties occured on 14 September, when 11 people were killed and 16 injured by an al-Shabaab suicide bombing at a tea shop in Mogadishu. On 25 September, eight civilians were killed and seven injured in a suicide car bombing by al-Shabaab at a police checkpoint near the presidential palace in Mogadishu.

Civilian casualty numbers have nearly tripled in Somalia since August 2021, while armed-actor casualties dropped drastically, from 106 in August to two in September.

Sources: Anadolu Agency, Daily Sabah, Reuters, The Guardian

Casualties

In September 2021, there was one incident of explosive weapon use in Sweden, in which 20 civilians were injured. On 28 September, 20 civilians were injured in an IED blast in an apartment building in an urban residential area of Gothenburg. 

Sources: Daily Mail, Reuters 

Casualties

In September 2021, there were 77 recorded incidents of explosive weapon use in Syria that resulted in 213 civilian casualties. Civilians accounted for 61% (213) of all casualties (347), including 63 deaths and 150 injuries. Of these, 58 were reportedly women and 19 children. The vast majority of civilian casualties, 96% (207), occurred in populated areas, such as urban residential locations (50%) and villages (22%). 

State actors were responsible for 69% (146) of civilian casualties in Syria in September, and non-state actors were responsible for 16% (53). Syrian regime forces were responsible for 82% (120) of the civilian casualties caused by state actors. The use of ground-launched weapons, specifically artillery shelling, rockets and grenades, caused the majority of civilian death and injury, resulting in 66% (140) of civilian casualties, including 47 deaths and 93 injuries, across 31 incidents. Directly-emplaced weapons, specifically IEDs, car bombs and landmines, caused 43% (49) of civilian casualties, including eight deaths and 27 injuries, across seven incidents. The average number of civilian casualties per incident involving directly-emplaced weapons (7) was higher than that of ground-launched weapons (4) in Syria in September 2021. Air-launched weapons, specifically airstrikes, accounted for 11% (24) of civilian casualties, including eight deaths and 16 injuries, across nine incidents. All nine airstrikes that caused civilian casualties took place in populated areas and were perpetrated by state actors, specifically Russia and Turkey. All Russian airstrikes were located in Idlib province and caused 19 civilian casualties, 11 of whom were children. 

The highest casualty incident this month took place on 7 September, when four civilians were killed, including one child, one woman and two men, and 15 others injured by artillery shelling on residential neighbourhood al-Dabbit in Idlib city, Idlib, by Syrian regime forces. 

Overall, civilian casualties from explosive weapon use in Syria have declined slightly from August to September 2021, with a 3% reduction in the number of civilian casualties and 14% fewer civilian fatalities. However, there was a significant increase in the concentration of civilian casualties and incidents of explosive weapon use in Idlib province, Syria. It was the most dangerous province for civilians this month, accounting for 55% (118) of all civilian casualties and 44% (34) of all incidents of explosive weapon use in Syria. This was followed by Aleppo province, where 24% (51) of civilian casualties occured, and 21% (16) of incidents. In Aleppo, civilian casualties decreased by 35% from August to September, and in Daraa, the second worst-affected province for civilian casualties in August 2021, civilian casualties dropped by 83%, from 42 to 7. 

Sources: Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, Airwars

Casualties

There were two incidents of explosive weapon use in Thailand in September 2021, none of which caused civilian casualties. In total, three armed actors were killed and four injured in two incidents involving a grenade and an IED, in southern Thailand. On 28 September, two police officers were killed and four injured by a roadside bomb explosion in Chanae, Narathiwat.

Sources: Thaiger, Bangkok Post

Casualties

In September 2021, there were 10 incidents of explosive weapon use in Ukraine, three of which caused civilian casualties. Across the three incidents, two civilians were killed and three injured. There were an additional 27 armed-actor casualties in Ukraine in September. All three of the civilian injuries occurred during shelling on villages or urban residential areas in Donbas and Luhansk by both Ukrainian and Russian forces. The two civilian fatalities occured in an incident on 15 September, when a healthcare worker and government official, one man and one woman, were killed by a car bomb in Dnipropetrovsk in a suspected act of terrorism. 

Sources: Kyiv Post, Ukrinform

Casualties

In September 2021, there were 11 incidents of explosive weapon use recorded in Yemen, nine of which caused 70 civilian casualties. Civilians accounted for 88% (70) of the total recorded casualties (80), including 21 fatalities and 49 injuries. The majority of incidents that caused civilian casualties, seven of nine, were located in populated areas, primarily villages, urban residential areas, and public gatherings. 

Explosive weapon use by non-state actors, primarily Houthis, caused 50 civilian casualties, including 10 fatalities and 40 injuries. Twenty civilian casualties were attributed to state actors, specifically the Saudi-led coalition. Ground-launched weapons, specifically missiles and artillery shelling, accounted for the majority of incidents and casualties in Yemen in September 2021. The use of ground-launched weapons caused 63% (44) of all civilian casualties, including 62% (13) of all fatalities this month. Directly-emplaced weapons, specifically mines, caused the second highest proportion of civilian casualties, 27% (19), and air-launched weapons, specifically airstrikes, caused the remaining 10% (seven) of civilian casualties. 

The highest casualty incident took place on 25 September when a ballistic missile launched by Houthis targeting a public gathering in Medi, Hajja governorate, killed 12 people, nine of whom were civilians, and injured 22 other civilians. 

The number of civilian casualties resulting from the use of explosive weapons in Yemen in September rose significantly from 13 in August 2021, but remains lower than the 2021 high point of 115 civilian casualties in July 2021. 

Sources: Debriefer, Arab News