Protection of Civilians In Mosul: Identifying Lessons For Contingency Planning

In order to inform civilian protection efforts in future operations in Iraq and other countries, this closed-door, invitation-only roundtable discussion in June 2017 brought together Iraqi embassy officials, U.S. policymakers and military officials, and humanitarian actors with experience in Iraq to critically reflect on the measures taken to address protection concerns during the Mosul military operations and subsequent displacement. Discussions explored the conduct of hostilities; planning for displacement; coordination between military, government, and humanitarian actors; and the implications of harm to civilians for stabilization and recovery. This report highlights key lessons identified and offers reflections on contingency planning in complex urban operations and further measures needed to reduce civilian harm. While based largely on the comments of participants during the roundtable discussion, this report also draws on external reports for additional background.