Conflict

U.S.-led Coalition in Iraq & Syria

Incident Code

CS1371

Location

near Raqqah, Syria, Raqqa, Syria

Geolocation

35.95989, 39.00111
Accuracy: Within 100m (via Coalition)

Airwars Assessment

Last Updated: December 15, 2024

(Previous Incident Code: S1197b)

In an incident not previously tracked by Airwars, the Coalition later confirmed the deaths of three civilians and the injury of another.

Their October 2017 civilian casualty report noted: “During a Coalition strike that engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a logistics node, it was assessed that three civilians were unintentionally killed and one civilian was unintentionally injured.”

This incident might or might not be related to local reports of civilian harm that day in Raqqa (see S1197 above). We have reached out to the Coalition for clarification.

This is one of the three events in which the Coalition has confirmed to have caused civilian casualties on August 13th — see S1196 and S1197a above.

In July 2019, the Coalition provided Airwars with the coordinates for this event accurate to within a 100m box.

Key Information

Country
Military Actor
Civilian Harm Reported
Yes
Civilian Harm Status
Confirmed
Civilians reported killed
3
Civilians reported injured
1

Geolocation Notes

Prior to the Coalition releasing the MGRS for this incident, Airwars had geolocated it to the nearest city at 35.9505639, 39.0094148

Military Statements

U.S.-led Coalition Assessment
Known belligerent
U.S.-led Coalition
U.S.-led Coalition position on incident
Credible / Substantiated
Given reason for civilian harm
No reason given
Civilian deaths conceded
3
Civilian injuries conceded
1
Stated location
near Raqqah, Syria
Location accuracy
100 m
MGRS coordinate
37SEV001795
U.S.-led Coalition Strike Report
For August 12th-13th the Coalition reported *Near Raqqah, 15 strikes engaged 14 ISIS tactical units and destroyed three command and control nodes, two ISIS headquarters, an ISIS UAS launch site and a vehicle. It additionally reported that “On Aug. 12, near Raqqah, Syria, 21 strikes engaged 16 ISIS tactical units and destroyed a fighting position, an anti-aircraft artillery system, and a mortar system.” And that “On Aug. 12, near Raqqah, Syria, one strike destroyed an ISIS fighting position.”
UK Military Strike Report
‘Sunday 13 August – Typhoons eliminated three terrorist positions in Raqqa, including machine-gun and mortar teams…then conducting attacks on Sunday [Aug 13th] which eliminated three more terrorist positions in the city, including a strongpoint adjacent to the now-abandoned Daesh “Immigration Office”, and machine-gun and mortar teams.’
French Military Strike Report
In the past week, (11th-18th) France conducted 27 sorties, including 22 armed reconnaissance and ground support (CAS), 1 refueling outlet and 4 intelligence gathering sorties by Atlantic 2 or Rafale patrols. Two strikes were carried out in the Raqqah region of Syria. They helped support the Syrian democratic forces in their offensive to retake the city.
French Military Strike Report
For Aug 9-15th, France report 2 strikes in Raqqah, Syria – and 13 artillery missions in Mosul.
U.S.-led Coalition Civilian Casualty Statement
2017-10-27
Original Source
During a Coalition strike that engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a logistics node, it was assessed that three civilians were unintentionally killed and one civilian was unintentionally injured.