Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CS444

Incident date

January 14, 2017

Location

ميادين, Al Mayadin, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Geolocation

35.016667, 40.444167 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Two civilians died and up to eight others were reported injured in an alleged Coalition airstrike on a conserves factory and surrounding homes in Al Mayadeen, according to local sources.

The Syrian Observatory reported: “Four European warplanes of the international coalition targeted a conserves factory which was already destroyed and deserted in al-Mayadeen city east of Deir Ezzor province. They carried out 11 consecutive raids followed by a raid targeting a vehicle belonging to Islamic State and carrying a heavy machine gun which was targeting the warplanes. The strike destroyed the vehicle and killed two members of IS, in addition to a civilian who happened to be there. Seven others were also injured.” A young girl named as Alaa Hafez Hussein al Said also later died of injuries sustained in the raid.

In July 2019, the Coalition announced that it had assessed this allegation of civilian harm to be non-credible. Their monthly civilian casualty report noted “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.”

Syria News Desk also attributed the event to the Coalition, reporting that four raids on the conserves factory and “residential sites adjacent to it… led to the killing and wounding of an unknown number of IS members.”

It added that there was widespread destruction of the factory as well as “great destruction of four homes near Al Quds mosque and al Nadi roundabout south of al Mayadeen.”

Al Sharqiya voice, a news outlet covering the east of the country, also said that the Coalition was to blame for the raid – but they said there were no civilian fatalities (only a few injuries), adding that members of IS were killed and wounded.

Al Raed La Yakzub Ahlahu, an ISIS propaganda source, said American fighter jets “launched several missiles and machine gun fire in the centre of al Mayadeen in the Deir Ezzor countryside which led to the death of a resident of the area and the injury of two others”. The source appeared to be the IS propaganda website Al A’amaq.

Al Bousla – a pro-regime source – said that the strike by “warplanes” killed the “terrorist Abu Abdallal Al Saoudi and 17 foreigners” – implying that they were members of IS.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Child female killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–8
  • 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 (15) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (5) [ collapse]

  • Translation: Deir Ezzor - international coalition launches 3 raids until now on al Mayadeen targeting the conserves factory on the main road.
  • Translation: Deir Ezzor - the child Alaa Hafez Hussein al Said martyred in the warplane shelling on al Mayadeen days ago.
  • Aftermath of the air strike (via Al Sharqiya voice)
  • Aftermath of the air strike (via Euphrates Post)
  • Aftermath of the air strike (via Euphrates Post)
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
    Other
  • Stated location
    in Al Mayadeen, Syria
    Nearest population center
  • Location accuracy
    100 m
  • MGRS coordinate
    37SFU318758
    Military Grid Reference System

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Jul 26, 2019
  • Jan. 14, 2017, in Al Mayadeen, 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.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

For January 13th-14th, the Coalition publicly reported: ” Near Dayr Ar Zawr, two strikes destroyed three oil wellheads”.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–8
  • 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 (15) [ collapse]