Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CS102

Incident date

July 16, 2015

Location

الرقة‎, Ar Raqqah, Raqqa, Syria

Geolocation

35.9505639, 39.0094148 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Coalition aircraft allegedly destroyed an “ISIS-owned digger,” killing a man local monitoring group Raqaa is Being Slaughtered Silently described as a civilian driver: “Coalition planes targeted a drilling vehicle belonging to Daesh which is used for digging berms in the area of Tal Al Bayi’a. This led to the burning of the vehicle, and to the death of the driver.”

The combatant status of such individuals in the eyes of the coalition remains unclear. However in one Facebook entry a man naming himself as Abd Al Kareem Mohammad said that the victim was a family member, and a non-combatant: “IS threatened him and forced him to work with them. The poor man has just had his first baby boy born twenty days ago. Don’t judge people from their appearances. Some people have very little choice.”

In a related incident, Buzzfeed cited an eyewitness to a nearby Coalition strike on an ISIL checkpoint. As the 28-year old mother of three fled with her children, she reported seeing the body of a neighbor who’d been driving across the bridge carrying groceries. She complained to the news site: “We used to feel safe when we saw the American airstrikes. Now my daughters are afraid to go to the school, because they say there is ISIS and there is American airstrikes.”

In the first of their March 2020 civilian casualty reports, the US-led Coalition assessed reports that they were responsible for civilian harm in this strike as “non-credible”, stating that after a review of all available records it was determined that, more likely than not, civilian casualties did not occur as a result of a Coalition action.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (2 men)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition

Sources (2) [ collapse]

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
    Other
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • MGRS coordinate
    37SEV008784
    Military Grid Reference System

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Mar 25, 2020
  • July 15, 2015, in Raqqah, Syria, via Airwars report. After a review of all available records it was determined that, more likely than not, civilian casualties did not occur as a result of a Coalition action. 2803/CS102 37SEV008784

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

The Coalition has confirmed it destroyed an excavation vehicle and a checkpoint in the vicinity on July 15th-16th 2015: “Near Ar Raqqah, five airstrikes struck two ISIL tactical units, an ISIL structure and an ISIL checkpoint and destroyed an ISIL excavator and two ISIL vehicles.“

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (2 men)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition

Sources (2) [ collapse]