Geolocation
Airwars assessment
A Coalition raid on oil infrastructure at Hawi in the Zebain area killed three civilians, according to multiple reports. The Coalition later confirmed the incident.
According to Deir Ezzor 24 and others, those killed died when oil burners (primitive refineries) were targeted. Syria News Desk reported that “international coalition planes launched raids on primitive refineries at an oil refinery east of the village of Zeban controlled by IS killing three civilians and wounding seven others, as well as burning four refineries completely.”
On January 3rd 2017 the Coalition announced that an event at ‘Omar Gosp’ was under investigation. While publicly listed for November 24th, officials confirmed to Airwars that this was in fact a November 27th event at the Omar Gas and Oil Supply Point.
On March 4th the Coalition announced: “Nov. 27, 2016, near Dayr Az Zayr, Syria, via self-report: During a strike on ISIS oil tanker trucks it was assessed that three civilians were killed. After warning shots were fired to dislodge drivers from the vehicles a number of the trucks scattered. Three of the trucks were subsequently engaged, destroyed, and their drivers presumed killed. The other vehicles in the area were abandoned after the warning shots were fired and subsequently destroyed with no assessed civilian casualties.”
In July 2019, the Coalition provided Airwars with coordinates for the event, accurate to within a 100 metre box.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
Geolocation notes
Prior to the Coalition releasing the MGRS for this incident, Airwars had geolocated it to the nearest village at 35.040833, 40.508889
Summary
Sources (10) [ collapse]
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.
US-led Coalition Assessment:
Civilian casualty statements
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Nov. 27, 2016, near Dayr Az Zayr, Syria, via self-report: During a strike on ISIS oil tanker trucks it was assessed that three civilians were killed. After warning shots were fired to dislodge drivers from the vehicles a number of the trucks scattered. Three of the trucks were subsequently engaged, destroyed, and their drivers presumed killed. The other vehicles in the area were abandoned after the warning shots were fired and subsequently destroyed with no assessed civilian casualties.
Original strike reports
For November 27th 2016, the Coalition reported that “Near Dayr Az Zawr, one strike destroyed four oil tanker trucks and two oil tanker trailers.”