Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CS1646

Incident date

October 18, 2017

Location

الشحيل, Al Shaheel, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Geolocation

35.0865, 40.45232 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

On October 18, 2017, two to four civilians were killed in an airstrike on Al Shaheel, according to local media, though sources were conflicted as to who was to blame.

Two men were killed identified by name by multiple sources.

Al Sharqiya Observatory said that the victims died from wounds sustained in a Coalition strike. Sharqiya Voice also named a victim but didn’t identify the warplanes responsible for his death.

The victims were named by Euphrates Post, Jassim Al-Hawar, Hussein Hammadi al-Murr and two displaced men. Eurphrates post claimed that the victims were killed in air strikes targeting the town of Al-Shuhail near Al-Hassan Mosque and Al-Khabassa Mosque.

Marsad al Hassaka also reported that two displaced men from Deir Ezzor had been killed.

According to Deir Ezzor 24 and Sharqiya Voice, Russian warplanes carried out up to seven raids on Al Shaheel.

Smart News Agency said that four civilians died at the hands of unidentified fighter jets.

The incident was first reported on October 18, 2017 at 1:00 pm by .

The victims were named as:

Adult male via Sharqiya voice killed
Adult male via Euphrats Post killed

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the Al Hassan (الحسن) and Al Khabassa (الخباصة) mosques in the village of Al Saheel (الشحیل). Due to limited information available to Airwars, the exact locations of these mosques remain unknown, however, the generic coordinates for the village are: 35.0865, 40.45232.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 4
  • (2–4 men)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • 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, Russian Military

Sources (10) [ collapse]

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
    No Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • Stated location
    near al Shaheel, Syria
    Nearest population center

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Jun 28, 2018
  • After a review of available information it was assessed that no Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area that correspond to the report of civilian casualties.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

For October 17th-18th, the Coalition reported: “Near Abu Kamal, two strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed two VBEID factories and an ISIS headquarters.“

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 4
  • (2–4 men)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • 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, Russian Military

Sources (10) [ collapse]