Geolocation
Airwars assessment
On August 30th 2018, the Coalition said it had concluded an assessment of possible civilian harm. In the report, the Coalition wrote: “December 30, 2017, near al-Bahrah, Syria, via social media report. After a review of available information and strike video it was assessed that there is insufficient evidence to find civilians were harmed in this strike.” The Coalition shared the location of this assessed strike with Airwars: 37SFU638465. Airwars researchers assessed that the reported event has similarities with S1499 – yet our researchers have the incident as occurring on the Dec. 29, 2017. Moreover, reports stated that a civilian was found dead inside a building (his home) – Coalition coordinates are in the open.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
Summary
Sources (1) [ collapse]
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.
US-led Coalition Assessment:
Civilian casualty statements
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After a review of available information and strike video it was assessed that there is insufficient evidence to find civilians were harmed in this strike.
Original strike reports
Coalition position: For December 29th-30th: “Near Abu Kamal, 10 strikes engaged nine ISIS tactical units and destroyed nine ISIS fighting positions and two logistics centers.”