Ministry of Defence
- Date 19 October 2022
- Sector Central government
- Decision(s) FOI 26: Not upheld, FOI 27: Not upheld, FOI 40: Not upheld
The complainant submitted a request to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) seeking information about a UK Reaper strike in Syria in March 2018 in which one civilian was killed. The MOD confirmed that it held information but considered this to be exempt from disclosure on the basis of sections 24(1) (national security), 26(1)(b) (defence), 27(1)(a) (international relations) and 40(2) (personal data). The Commissioner’s decision is that the requested information is exempt from disclosure on the basis of the exemptions contained at sections 26(1)(b), 27(1)(a) and that the public interest favours maintaining both exemptions. The Commissioner has concluded that the names of junior staff are also exempt from disclosure on the basis of section 40(2).