Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CS064

Incident date

April 26, 2015

Location

متراس, Mitras, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.62906, 38.29076 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Reported Coalition airstrikes at 11 am on the village of Mitras killed three civilians, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights.  These were identified as an adult male, a teenager and a child.

This event bears a resemblance to an April 19th incident at the same location (CS063) in that the victims are from the same family. The victims in this incident were the brother and nephew of the victim in incident CS063.

In July 2017 the Coalition classed the event as non credible on grounds of available evidence of civilian harm: “April 26, 2015, near Mitras, Syria, via Airwars report: After a review of available information and strike video it was assessed that there is insufficient evidence to find that civilians were harmed in this strike.”

The incident occured at 11:00:00 local time.

The victims were named as:

Family members (2)

40 years old male killed
17 years old male Hassan's son killed

The victims were named as:

6 years old female killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (2 children1 man)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (4) [ collapse]

  • Hassan Al Ibrahim Al Dimmo, killed at Mitras on April 26 (via SN4HR)
  • Ibrahim Haasan Ibrahim al Dimmo, killed in reported Coalition strike April 26 (via SN4HR)
  • An image of Hassan al Dimmo's house before the shelling (via SN4HR)
  • An image of Hassan al Dimmo's house after the shelling (via SN4HR)
CJTF–OIR Declassified Assessment and Press Release

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.

Declassified Assessment Press Release

US-led Coalition Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition
  • US-led Coalition position on incident
    Non credible / Unsubstantiated
    Insufficient information to assess that, more likely than not, a Coalition strike resulted in civilian casualties.
  • Reason for non-credible assessment
    a:1:{i:0;s:21:"insufficient_evidence";}
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • Stated location
    near Mitras, Syria
    Nearest population center

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Jul 7, 2017
  • After a review of available information and strike video it was assessed that there is insufficient evidence to find that civilians were harmed in this strike.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

A number of strikes were reported in the wider vicinity: “Near Kobani, four airstrikes struck an ISIL tactical unit, destroying five ISIL fighting positions and ISIL heavy machine gun.”

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (2 children1 man)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition

Sources (3) [ collapse]