Which of the following would count as a "collateral casualty," as Abbate uses that term?
A) Soldiers blow up a building that they reasonably believe houses enemy soldiers, but in fact there are civilians inside.
B) Soldiers blow up a weapons factory that they reasonably believe is empty, but in fact there are enemy soldiers inside.
C) The air force bombs a residential area of an enemy city to reduce support for the war among the enemy populace.
D) The military evacuates a residential neighborhood in an enemy city and then blows up the buildings to reduce support for the war among the enemy populace.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

BCollateral casualties refer to unintended harm or deaths that occur as a side effect of a military action aimed at a legitimate target. In choice A, civilians are unintentionally harmed when soldiers target what they believe to be an enemy-occupied building. In choice B, enemy soldiers are unintentionally harmed when a weapons factory, believed to be empty, is targeted. Both scenarios involve unintended victims during an attack on what was believed to be a legitimate military target, fitting the definition of collateral casualties. Choices C and D involve deliberate actions against civilian targets or areas, which do not fit the definition of collateral casualties as unintended harm.

Which of the Following Would Count as a "Collateral Casualty