Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CS1429a

Incident date

August 29, 2017

Location

Ar Raqqah: Various neighbourhoods, Raqqa, Syria

Geolocation

35.9505639, 39.0094148 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Initially this incident was reported on by several sources as an alleged airstrike or artillery shelling in various neighbourhoods in the city of Raqqa, in which eight cilivilians died, including one woman.

There was a discrepancy regarding civilians identified in the list. Amjad Ahmed Taha Al-Suwairi, Mohammed Ayman Sweiri and Ahmad Taha Al-Omar Al Suweiri, were documented in a subsequent report by @Raqqa24. The Tweet stated they died in an aerial offensive, also suspected to have been carried out by the Coalition two days earlier, on August 27th. One man named Adnan al-Mubarak Abo Ghadab was also killed in the attack according to local media, though he was not documented as part of the list other sources distributed.

All sources said the US-led Coalition was responsible, they referred to an “aerial bombardment” combined with “artillery”. Airwars understands that only the Coalition have access to artillery in Raqqa. Correspondence Airwars made with RBSS revealed the eight civilians reported killed were situated in various neighbourhoods of Raqqa, the identity of victims was unable to be matched with exact locations.

During investigations of this event for the April 2019 joint Airwars and Amnesty report War in Raqqa: Rethoric versus Reality (www.raqqa.amnesty.org), Amnesty field researchers were able to identify the location of the strike in which eight members of the Sueri family was killed, three of which were originally named in this report. Find this incident here: CS1429b.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (2)

Abdel Fattah Mustafa El Hassoun
Age unknown male killed
Hussein Mustafa El-Hassoun
Age unknown male killed

Family members (2)

Imad Ibrahim Al-Khader
Age unknown male killed
Hana’a Emad Ibrahim Al-Khader
Age unknown female killed

The victims were named as:

Youssef Al-Sha’ban
Age unknown male killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • (1 woman1 man)
  • 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 (11) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Al-Haj Ahmad Al-Alwan, killed in an alleged Coalition airstrike on Raqqa, 29th August 2017. (via Ahmad Shbl)

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

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 29th – 30th the Coalition reported “Near Raqqah, 46 strikes engaged 30 ISIS tactical units and destroyed 66 fighting positions, five heavy machine guns, five vehicles, three medium machine guns, three anti-air systems, three ISIS communications lines, two command and control nodes, an ISIS headquarters, a weapons cache, an ISIS staging area, a VBIED, damaged eight fighting positions and suppressed two heavy machine guns.” It was additionally reported that “On Aug. 29, near Raqqah, Syria, 16 strikes engaged nine ISIS tactical units and destroyed nine fighting positions, a VBIED, a heavy machine gun, and a command and control node.”

Media
from belligerent (1) [ collapse]

  • For Aug 23rd-29th, France report 8 strikes in Iraq and 11 strikes in Syria, plus 46 artillery missions in Tal Afar, Iraq.(@EtatMajorFR)

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • (1 woman1 man)
  • 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 (11) [ collapse]