Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CS392

Incident date

November 24, 2016

Location

الكلي, Al Killi, Raqqa, Syria

Airwars assessment

Between four and six civilians reportedly died when the Coalition allegedly struck the funeral of two civilian males killed in the village of al Killi the day earlier.

According to Raqqa is Being Slaughtered, “4 women were killed and others wounded following a raid by the international coalition on a house in mourning in al Killi near al Jarnia. The mourning was for the martyrs of the air raid on the village yesterday.” The group later named three of the women killed as:

The wife of Khabour al Haj Hussein

Wife of Hamadi al Mahmoud

Wife of Abdallah al Abd al Haj Hussein

The Syrian Observatory later raised the death toll to six, and said 13 locals were injured.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4 – 6
  • (4 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    13
  • 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 (11) [ collapse]

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 al-Kili village, al-Jarnia, Raqqah, Syria
    Nearest population center
  • Location accuracy
    100 m
  • MGRS coordinate
    37SDA317020
    Military Grid Reference System

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Sep 27, 2018
  • After a review of available information and strike video it was assessed that there is insufficient evidence to find civilians were harmed in this strike.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

For November 23rd-24th 2016 the Coalition reported that “Near Ar Raqqah, four strikes engaged two ISIL headquarters buildings; and destroyed eight oil storage tanks, five oil tanker trucks, and an oil refinement system. Near Ayn Isa, one strike destroyed a vehicle storage facility.”

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4 – 6
  • (4 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    13
  • 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 (11) [ collapse]