Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CS812

Incident date

May 13, 2017

Location

السحل, Al Sahel, Raqqa, Syria

Geolocation

35.87441, 38.63985 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

One or two civilians died in an alleged Coalition airstrike on Al-Sahel, according to local media.

Baladi, Syrianpc and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights all blamed the Coalition for the death of one non-combatant.

Raqqa is Being Slaughtered named a victim as Ahmad Mustafa Al-Haji Al-Hamid but didn’t say who was responsible for his death.

Raqqa24 reported that “two civilians were killed and others were wounded by coalition aircraft bombing the town of Al-Sahl in rural Raqqa yesterday evening.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Ahmad Mustafa Al-Haji Al-Hamid
Age unknown male killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 2
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • 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 (6) [ 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
    No Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • Stated location
    near Al Sahel, Syria
    Nearest population center
  • Location accuracy
    100 m
  • MGRS coordinate
    37SDV929742
    Military Grid Reference System

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Jan 25, 2018
  • After a review of available information it was assessed that no Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area that correspond to the report of civilian casualties.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

For May 12th-13th the Coalition reported: “Near Raqqah, five strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed two fighting positions, a front-end loader, an ISIS crane, and a house-born improvised explosive device.”

Summary

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