Geolocation
Airwars assessment
The IS-linked agency Al A’maq posted a video showing destruction in the city following reported airstrikes
Local monitoring group Raqaa is Being Slaughtered suggested the attack may have been the work of the US-led Coalition: “Warplanes targeted with seven missiles on Friday night the area of February 23rd Street in Raqqa city center. This resulted in injuries and the loss of a number of civilians, as well as the destruction of shops. The strike coincided with intensive reconnaissance flights, and the sound of explosions in the northern rural areas were likely to have been raids by the international Coalition.”
Photos published on IS media showing the destruction caused in the area blames Russian ‘crusader’ planes for the strikes.
In its July 2017 report the Coalition said it had not conducted any strikes in the near vicinity, and classed the event as non credible: “Dec. 26, 2015, near Raqqah, Syria, via Airwars report: After a review of available information it was assessed that no Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographic area that correspond to the report of civilian casualties.”
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Family members (2)
Summary
Sources (5) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (5) [ collapse]
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Massive damage to Raqqa's February 23rd Street following a Coalition or Russian airstrike. (via, Raqqa is Being Slaughtered)
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A photograph of some destroyed buildings in Raqqa. (via, Raqqa Post)
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Destruction in the streets of Raqqa in the aftermath of the contested raid. (via, Raqqa Post)
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Damaged infrastructure in Raqqa after a raid. (via, Raqqa Post)
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A view of the aftermath of the raid. (via, Raqqa Post)
Attached to this civilian harm incident is a provisional reconciliation of the Pentagon's declassified assessment of this civilian harm allegation, based on matching date and locational information.
The declassified documents were obtained by Azmat Khan and the New York Times through Freedom of Information requests and lawsuits filed since March 2017, and are included alongside the corresponding press release published by the Pentagon. Airwars is currently analysing the contents of each file, and will update our own assessments accordingly.
Unknown Assessment:
Civilian casualty statements
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"Dec. 26, 2015, near Raqqah, Syria, via Airwars report: After a review of available information it was assessed that no Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographic area that correspond to the report of civilian casualties."
Original strike reports
For December 25th-28th, Russia has reported that “In the course of three days, since December 25, the Russian aviation group has performed 164 combat sorties engaging 556 terrorists’ objects located in the Aleppo, Idlib, Latakia, Hama, Homs, Damascus, Deir ez-Zor and Raqqah provinces.”
US-led Coalition Assessment:
Original strike reports
For Dec 25th-26th, the Coalition reported: "Near Ar Raqqah, one strike [British] wounded an ISIL fighter."
For 26th-27th: " Near Ar Raqqah, two strikes destroyed three ISIL excavators, two ISIL bulldozers, and damaged an ISIL excavator."