Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CI093

Incident date

August 19, 2015

Location

الموصل‎, Mosul, Nineveh, Iraq

Geolocation

36.34585235, 43.09857692 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Local sources claimed that a Coalition airstrike aimed at an ISIL vehicle instead hit nearby celebrations, killing 18 people including three medics. One was later named as dentist Dr. Samir Ibrahim while the UN noted that a father and child died in the reported event.

According to NINA, the deaths occurred when a missile accidentally struck celebrants at a festival in a square in north Mosul.

The monitoring site Jihadology later published a comment from a pro-ISIL website: “This man was one of the noble ones of Mosul who refused to leave the city, unlike others who abandoned their people in their time of need, fearing death, hunger or anything else…God willing on the Day of Judgment we will dispute with every doctor, engineer or even student who left Mosul in the time when solidarity and standing together in the path of turning the wheel of life were needed. But praise and thanks be to God we do not need those who abandoned us as they need us.”

In a January 2016 study, the United Nations Mission in Iraq noted that an alleged targeted killing of a Daesh official had also reportedly slain a father and daughter. According to UNAMI, “On the afternoon of 18 August, a man and his 12 year-old daughter were reportedly killed when an airstrike hit al-Minassa street, northern Mosul. The airstrike allegedly targeted a vehicle carrying three assistants to ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and a judge of an ISIL self-appointed court, who were all killed.“

In its monthly civilian casualty assessment for October 2019 – published on December 5th of that year – the US-led Coalition assessed this event to be ‘non credible’, noting: “August 19, 2015, in Mosul, Iraq, via Airwars report. After a review of all available records it was assessed that no Coalition actions were conducted in the geographical area that corresponds to the report of civilian casualties. 2811/CI093 38SLF294240”.

The Coalition also provided coordinates showing the area it had assessed, accurate to within 100 metres.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Dr. Samir Ibrahim
Adult male killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    18
  • (1 child1 man)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • 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
  • Suspected target
    ISIS

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Image of Dr. Samir Ibrahim (via Al Mustaqbal News)

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
    No Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • Stated location
    in Mosul, Iraq
    Nearest population center
  • Location accuracy
    100 m
  • MGRS coordinate
    38SLF294240
    Military Grid Reference System

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Dec 5, 2019
  • August 19, 2015, in Mosul, Iraq, via Airwars report. After a review of all available records it was assessed that no Coalition actions were conducted in the geographical area that corresponds to the report of civilian casualties. 2811/CI093 38SLF294240

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

For August 18th-19th 2015, the Coalition noted that “Near Mosul, one airstrike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL vehicle.“

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    18
  • (1 child1 man)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • 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
  • Suspected target
    ISIS

Sources (5) [ collapse]