ABNA24 - A former Pentagon advisor warned that the weakening of civilian protection systems and the recurring pattern of attacks on Iranian schools have sounded the alarm, and Americans deserve clear answers regarding casualties among children.
Sarah Yager, the Washington director of Human Rights Watch and a former advisor on civilian protection during Donald Trump’s presidency, called for full transparency from the U.S. government regarding civilian casualties in the war against Iran in an op-ed for the Los Angeles Times.
Referring to the history of U.S. attacks in Afghanistan (2001–2021), in which there were numerous reports of civilians (including children) being killed, Yager wrote that similar reports are now emerging from Iran.
She pointed to new investigations showing that on February 28 (the first day of the U.S.-Zionist war against Iran), a U.S. missile attack on an elementary school and a sports hall in the city of Lamerd (in southern Iran) resulted in the martyrdom of children.
Although the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has called this report "incorrect" and denied conducting any attack in that region, documents and evidence indicate that a U.S. missile struck this area in southern Iran.
Nevertheless, Yager writes that a similar pattern (the deadly attack on the Minab girls' school on the same day with at least 175 killed) and the weakening of civilian protection systems within the Pentagon raise serious concerns. In this regard, she wrote: "We’ve seen this pattern before. A U.S. missile strike. An initial statement emphasizing precision. Then, later, reports that civilians—including many children—were among the dead."
The author emphasizes in the concluding section: "Americans deserve clear answers about who and what is being targeted, what their military is doing to protect Iranian civilians, and how potential violations of the laws of war are being investigated. This is basic public oversight that must accompany the use of military force. If the U.S. military were acting lawfully, it should show it. But if not, the public deserves to know that too."
Previous investigations by the New York Times, BBC, and Al Jazeera confirmed that the United States was responsible for the deadly attack on the Shajareh Tayyiba school in Minab, Hormozgan.
The deliberate targeting of schools, hospitals, and other civilian structures is considered a war crime under international humanitarian law (Geneva and Hague). The International Criminal Court (ICC) has the jurisdiction to investigate war crimes committed by nationals of member states.
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