(Previous Incident Code: S380)

At least eight civilians were reported killed in an alleged Coalition airstrike on Sowaydiya, as the US-led Coalition and its SDF ground proxies continued to battle ISIL in Raqqa governorate.

According to Raqqah is Being Slaughtered, there were “nine martyrs and three injured in a massacre at the village of al Sowaydiya Kabira following targeting by international Coalition planes of the home of Khalaf al Illo.

ISIL placed the death toll at 12, while LCCSY said there were “10 martyrs in Raqqa from one family killed in Coalition raids on al Tabaqa.” Step News said 10 civilians were also injured.

The Syrian Observatory reported that “the death toll is expected to rise because there are some people in critical situation. Al-Swidiyyeh massacre is considered the first massacre against civilians carried out by warplanes of the coalition during the year 2017.”

Baladi and Jisr TV were among other sources who also blamed the Coalition, putting the death toll at five. According to the Syrian Network “The bombardment resulted in the killing of eight civilians from the same family including six children and one woman.”

In December 2018, the Coalition announced that it had classed the event as non credible due to a lack of available evidence of civilian harm: “Jan. 6, 2017, near Sowaydiya Kabira, Syria, via Airwars report. 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.”