Conflict

U.S.-led Coalition in Iraq & Syria

Incident Code

CI830

Location

Tal Afar, Nineveh, Iraq

Geolocation

36.375659, 42.451536
Accuracy: City

Airwars Assessment

Last Updated: December 15, 2024

(Previous Incident Code: I631)

As many as 300 civilians were allegedly killed and injured in Tal Afar over three days of shelling. Information on the number of lives lost was retrieved from local medical sources, who said mostly women and children were killed and wounded.

According to JBC – which said that 300 civilians were killed across two days of fighting – Iraqi sources have estimated the number of troops attacking Tal Afar is about 40 000, including thousands of the popular mobilization forces of Iran, led by the paramilitary movement backed directly by the Revolutionary Guards. JBS, along with other sources, pointed to air and missile strikes and aerial bombardment as the cause of the significant number of civilian casualties.

Iraqi Spring Media and Omar al Halbusi said that 300 civilians had been killed and injured.

It is pertinent to note that these are general civilian casualty numbers, spanning two to three days, therefore this entry may encompass other entries recorded by Airwars.

The Coalition has confirmed two civilian casualty events in Tal Afar for this date range, see I631a and I631b below.

Key Information

Country
Military Actor
Civilian Harm Reported
Yes
Civilian Harm Status
Contested
Civilians reported killed
150–300
Civilians reported injured
150–300

Geolocation Notes

Reports of the incident mention the city of Tal Afar (تلعفر), for which the coordinates are: 36.375659, 42.451536. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Military Statements

U.S.-led Coalition Assessment
Suspected belligerent
U.S.-led Coalition
U.S.-led Coalition position on incident
Non credible / Unsubstantiated
Reason for non-credible assessment
Insufficient information on the time and location
Civilian deaths conceded
None
Civilian injuries conceded
None
Stated location
near Tal Afer, Iraq
Location accuracy
100 m
MGRS coordinate
38SKF713286
U.S.-led Coalition Strike Report
For August 18th-19th the Coalition reported “Near Tal Afar, three strikes destroyed 24 vehicles, two tunnels, two weapons caches, two front-end loaders, a command and control node, a staging area, an explosives factory, an explosives cache, and a fighting position, and damaged three bridges and two supply routes.”
U.S.-led Coalition Civilian Casualty Statement
2018-06-28
Original Source
The report contains insufficient information of the time, location and details to assess its credibility
Iraq Government Forces Assessment
Suspected belligerent
Iraq Government Forces
Iraq Government Forces position on incident
Not yet assessed