Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CS1318

Incident date

July 13, 2017

Location

مدرسة سيف الدولة, Ar Raqqah: Near Saif Al Dawla school, Raqqa, Syria

Geolocation

35.93955, 39.01868 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Exact location (via Airwars) level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Ten civilians died including different generations of the same family in an alleged Coalition airstrike on Raqqa.

All sources pointed towards the Coalition carrying out an air or artillery strike. Airwars understands that only the Coalition has access to artillery in Raqqa.

The date has been changed due to further Amnesty field research confirming the date to be July 13th.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, it “managed to document the death of seven citizens. They include a man, two of his sons, his daughter and his grandson, as a result of the strikes carried out by warplanes of the International Coalition.”

In the Amnesty and Airwars’s joint April 2019 report “War in Raqqa: Rhetoric versus Reality”, it was reported that “A double airstrike killed six members of the Shabshoul family and four of their neighbours. The first strike killed Noora Shabshoul and her 1-year-old son and a neighbour. The second strike killed four other family members and three neighbours who had rushed over to rescue the victims of the first Strike.”

Randa, the mother, gave a testimony to Amnesty stating that “We were in our home, 16 of us, the whole family. Didn’t the surveillance planes see that this was a house full of civilians? And why did they bomb again when neighbours came to help after the first bombing?”

The incident occured at 20:30:00 local time.

The victims were named as:

Family members (6)

61 years old male husband of interviewee killed
21 years old female daughter of Abdul killed
20 years old male son of Abdul killed
19 years old male son of Abdul killed
15 years old male son of Abdul killed
1 year 10 days old years old male grandson of Abdul killed

Family members (4)

45 years old male neighbours who came to help after first strike killed
20 years old neighbours who came to help after first strike killed
28-30 years old male neighbours who came to help after first strike killed
18 years old male lived in the house opposite, neighbours who came to help after first strike killed

Geolocation notes (2) [ collapse]

  • Building that was destroyed just before the strike on July 6, 2017

    Imagery:
    Amnesty International

  • Building that was destroyed just after the strike on July 19, 2017

    Imagery:
    Amnesty International

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    10
  • (2 children1 woman7 men)
  • 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 (12) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (9) [ collapse]

  • Saad al Shabshol, aged one, killed along with several members of his family in an alleged Coalition strike on Raqqa, August 2nd 2017. (via SN4HR)
  • Abdul Rahman Al-Shibshoul (Abu Aboud Al-Sheikh Fahman), killed in an alleged Coalition airstrike on Raqqa, 2nd August 2017. (via Hmoud Abu AlAmir posted in Regards of Al - Raqqa Governorate)
  • Victim of an alleged Coalition airstrike on Raqqa, 2nd August 2017. (via Hmoud Abu AlAmir posted in Regards of Al - Raqqa Governorate)
  • Abdelrahman Ali Rahman Shabshoul (via Amnesty International)
  • AbdulSatter Ali Rahman Shabshoul (via Amnesty International)
  • Ibrahim Ali Rahman Shabshoul (via Amnesty International)
  • Noora Ali Rahman Shabshoul (via Amnesty International)
  • Saad Ali Rahman Shabshoul (via Amnesty International)
  • Zakaria Ali Rahman Shabshoul (via Amnesty International)
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 Raqqah, Syria
    Nearest population center
  • Location accuracy
    100 m
  • MGRS coordinate
    37SEV025784
    Military Grid Reference System

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • May 31, 2018
  • The report contains insufficient information of the time, location and details to assess its credibility.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

For August 2nd-3rd: “Near Raqqah, 14 strikes engaged 10 ISIS tactical units and destroyed nine fighting positions, two vehicles, a supply cache, a VBIED, a mortar position, an ISIS UAS site, and a generator.” It additionally reported that “On Aug. 2, near Raqqah, Syria, 20 strikes engaged 11 ISIS tactical units and destroyed six fighting positions, two supply caches, a tactical vehicle, a tunnel, a VBIED factory, and a command and control node.”

UK Military
  • English
    /
    Original

‘Wednesday 2 August – Typhoons destroyed a Daesh strongpoint in Raqqa…Typhoons provided further close air support to the SDF on Wednesday 2 August; they found themselves coming under sustained heavy machine-gun and sniper fire from a building in Raqqa, but were able to pinpoint the Daesh position, allowing our aircraft to attack with a Paveway IV.’

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    10
  • (2 children1 woman7 men)
  • 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 (12) [ collapse]