Story perspectives

Hasan Piker Says U.S. Killed More Than al-Qaeda

By Drooid · Sep 17, 2026, 11:11 PM UTC · How we work

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432000 civilian deaths

Streamer Hasan Piker told Axios on Thursday, 2026, that the United States caused more deaths than al-Qaeda.
The claim was framed as a demand for U.S. accountability over its civilian war casualties.
Brown University’s Costs of War project estimates 432,000 civilian deaths in post-9/11 wars.
Piker cited the February Minab, Iran school airstrike that killed 150 people, including 120 children.

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El-Sayed brushes streamer

Streamer Hasan Piker told Axios the U.S. caused more deaths than al-Qaeda, citing a February 28 strike that killed 140 Iranian schoolgirls.
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed dismissed Piker’s comment, saying he gives little weight to a streamer and will focus on Donald Trump and Mike Rogers’ policies.
Mike Rogers condemned Piker’s statement and urged El-Sayed to denounce him.
El-Sayed leads Rogers by 1.8 points in polling, making the race for Democrats.

History

Historical Context

During the 1999 NATO campaign against Yugoslavia—Operation Allied Force, which ran from 24 March to 10 June and caused about 500 civilian deaths—global outrage forced NATO to adopt stricter civilian-protection protocols. That precedent underpins today’s criticism, led by streamer Hasan Piker, of the February 2026 U.S. airstrike that killed 150 Iranian schoolchildren, reviving debates over civilian safeguards.

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432000 civilian deaths

Streamer Hasan Piker told Axios on Thursday, 2026, that the United States caused more deaths than al-Qaeda.
The claim was framed as a demand for U.S. accountability over its civilian war casualties.
Brown University’s Costs of War project estimates 432,000 civilian deaths in post-9/11 wars.
Piker cited the February Minab, Iran school airstrike that killed 150 people, including 120 children.

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