Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CI708

Incident date

May 12, 2017

Location

الموصل: غرب/الجانب الأيمن, Mosul, West, Nineveh, Iraq

Geolocation

36.336843, 43.117979 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Multiple local sources and Al’Amaq [ISIL press agency] reported that up to 108 civilians were killed and 265 were wounded due to artillery shelling and airstrikes by the international Coalition, the Iraqi Joint Forces and popular militia over a number of days.

A medical source had told Yaqein Agency in a press statement that “108 people from Mosul were killed and 265 wounded, mostly children and women, who died during the past four days as a result of continuous shelling on the neighborhoods of the right side [West] of the city of Mosul.” These numbers were also reported by others, who said these were numbers reported by Al’Amaq – the ISIL press agency.

A resident, Um Imam Ahmed, also reported that many had died. On May 16th he posted a photo on Facebook and commented: “The bodies of 30 civilians, including nine members of a family who were killed in the bombing of Coalition aircraft, still under the rubble of a house that was bombed two days ago on the western side of Mosul.”

The Ninawa Media Center said that a local source had confirmed that “a number of unarmed civilians” had died and were injured in Rifai neighbourhood, in north-west Mosul. The Center said that the Coalition had carried out airstrikes on a car bomb near Khaled Ibn al-Walid school – resulting in the destruction of the homes of these civilians.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    30 – 108
  • Civilians reported injured
    265
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected belligerents
    US-led Coalition, Iraq Government Forces, Iraq Irregular Forces

Sources (7) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • A photo posted on Facebook by Um Imam Ahmed - showing the destruction and one of the victims of heavy shelling in West Mosul (via Um Imam Ahmed)
  • A statement by Al'Amaq - ISIL press agency - saying that 108 had died and 265 were wounded in airstrikes and artillery shelling during the past four days (via Ali Ahmed, Facebook)
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
    Insufficient information on the time and location
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • Stated location
    near Mosul, Iraq
    Nearest population center

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Jan 25, 2018
  • The report contains insufficient information of the time location and details to assess its credibility.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

For May 11th-12th: “Near Mosul, six strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units; destroyed six fighting positions, three mortar systems, two sniper positions, a tactical vehicle, a command and control node, a VBIED, a front-end loader; damaged 24 ISIS supply routes, three fighting positions; and suppressed six mortar teams and two ISIS tactical units.“

Iraq Government Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Iraq Government Forces
  • Iraq Government Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Iraq Irregular Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Iraq Irregular Forces
  • Iraq Irregular Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    30 – 108
  • Civilians reported injured
    265
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected belligerents
    US-led Coalition, Iraq Government Forces, Iraq Irregular Forces

Sources (7) [ collapse]