Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CI719

Incident date

May 17, 2017

Location

الرفاعي, Mosul, Rifae, Nineveh, Iraq

Geolocation

36.3558497, 43.0937862 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Multiple local sources reported that a family of four brothers and their uncle, as well as a man with his son, and a woman, were killed in Rifae neighborhood after missiles and airstrikes hit the area. The raids took place in the street near the Mufti Mosque, in front of the medical clinic, and near Al Talib mosque.

The woman killed was “the wife of Brigadier Hilal Sabah Al-Fakhri” and the mother of both the lawyer Mohammed and Dr. Sabah. She reportedly died after raids hit their house.

MNN news and several other local media furthermore reported that Professor Ismail Hamo Abu Abdullah (pictured below) died after an airstrike hit his house in Rifae neighbourhood. Yaqein said that his only son was also killed in the bombing.

Sawlf Ateka reported five other victims:

“Yesterday, Wednesday, the missile shelling targeted the house of Hossam Ahmed Hassan al-Dulaimi near Al Talib mosque in Al-Rifa’i neighborhood. The shelling led to the martyrdom of his four sons and the martyrdom of his brother Waddah Ahmad Hassan al-Dulaimi.” MNN mentioned the same information.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Professor Ismail Hamo Abu Abdullah
Adult male used to work as a designer, plastic artist and teacher at the Institute of Fine Arts for Boys killed
Waddah Ahmad Hassan al-Dulaimi
Adult male Brother of Ahmed Hassan al-Dulaimi killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    8
  • (1 woman)
  • 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, Unknown

Sources (8) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Teacher and artist Ismail Hamo Abu Abdullah was killed in alleged airstrikes on his house in Rifai neighbourhood (via MNN)
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
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

For May 16th-17th: “Near Mosul, six strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units; destroyed 10 fighting positions, three medium machine guns, two rocket-propelled grenade systems, a UAS, an ISIS-held building, an artillery system, a heavy machine gun, a mortar system, a VBIED, a command and control node, a vehicle, and a VBIED facility; damaged 16 ISIS supply routes and a fighting position; and suppressed an ISIS tactical unit and a mortar team.”

Unknown Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Unknown
  • Unknown position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    8
  • (1 woman)
  • 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, Unknown

Sources (8) [ collapse]