Civilian deaths under Trump already higher than during Obama's entire presidency
Military efforts to debilitate ISIS have been underway for years, but an independent research group says that, since President Trump took office in January, the loss of civilian lives in Iraq and Syria has more than quadrupled.
The Daily Beast reports researchers with Airwars, which tracks military activity, estimate that "at least 2,300 civilians" likely died from strikes overseen by the Obama White House over -- which averages roughly 80 each month in Iraq and Syria.
According to the report, an additional 2,200 civilians have been killed in Coalition raids since Trump's inauguration, averaging upwards of 260 per month.
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One of the reasons cited for the rise is the battle moving to more populated areas such as Mosul and Raqqa.
A U.S.-led joint task force with Operation Inherent Resolve, the name given to battle against ISIS, has confirmed just 603 of the total civilian deaths reported by Airwars, listing others as either "non-credible" or still under investigation.
Notably, Airwars is not the only group to question the civilian death toll in Iraq and Syria.
Reuters reports that investigators with the United Nations announced in June that U.S.-supported air strikes were resulting in a "staggering loss of civilian life."
