Hundreds of innocent men, women and children killed by British military in Afghanistan and Iraq

For this film I obtained compensation logs showing payouts by the Minisitry of Defence for killing or injuring innocent civilians in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In all, it revealed that at least 1,661 innocent men, women and children had been killed by British military activity in the countries between 2003 and 2015.

However, the Ministry of Defence only paid compensation for at least 362 civilians.

The report was the first time data covering the full span of both conflicts had been obtained, providing the fullest figures possible for innocent civilian deaths admitted by the British military.

The compensation payouts included £1,296.30 for a five-year-old girl killed in an airstrike at Nahr-e-Saraj, Helmand, Afghanistan, during Operation Panchai Palang in 2009.

Another eight-year-old girl was killed in a separate airstrike in the same area on 7 December 2009. Her family received just £666.67 in compensation.

While eight people – including four members of the same family – were killed by a Hellfire missile during an airstrike in Babaji on 30 December 2009.

And 15 civilians were killed on the same day, 8 July 2013, in Lashkar Gah.

In one case the amount provided in compensation for a killing was just £86.81.

We revealed the figures as MPs prepared to debate ahead of a vote in Parliament on whether to launch airstrikes in Syria.