Conflict

U.S.-led Coalition in Iraq & Syria

Incident Code

CS1893

Location

الباغوز, Al Baghouz, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Geolocation

34.4641667, 40.9452778
Accuracy: Village

Airwars Assessment

Last Updated: December 15, 2024

(Previous Incident Code: S1769)

Local sources reported that the Coalition fired several missiles at or near residential buildings in Al-Baghouz town, claiming the lives of up to 14 civilians. One source claimed the attack was by a US B-1 bomber. In a September 20 2021 strike report for the incident, the US Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) admitted that a Coalition strike took place, but the allegation of civilian harm was deemed non-credible: ” After a review of all available  records it was determined that, more likely than not, civilian casualties did not occur as  a result of a Coalition action”.

Three women and five children of the same family were killed according to all but one local sources that reported the incident. The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SN4HR) was the only source that claimed three women and four children were killed and reported a total death toll of 10 civilians. Jesr Press put the death toll at 14 civilians. 

The family was reportedly fleeing the area of Mohsan, following intensified clashes between ISIS and Kurdish militias. Other civilians were reportedly injured in the attack and one source claimed that “there are no hospitals or clinics to provide aid”.

The UN Commission of Inquiry included this event in its September 2019 report, noting: “Towards the end of January, SDF advancement was decelerated due to the large presence of civilians, often consisting of wives and children of ISIL fighters who were fleeing the combat zone. To illustrate the point, the Commission received reports of an air strike in the early hours of the morning of 29 January, which allegedly killed at least one man, four women and three boys. The attack struck the Moshan area of Baghuz Tahtani, where a crowd of civilians had gathered to leave the town.”

 

Victims

Family members (8)

Haila Al-Khalif
Adult female wife of Mohammed Al-Majud Al-Kadran killed
Amna al-Mishaan
Adult female mother of Muhammad al-Majud al-Kadran killed
Sumaya al-Majud al Kadran
female Sister of Mohammed al-Majd al-Kadran killed
Unnamed child of Mohammed al - Majud al - Kadran
Child killed
Unnamed child of Mohammed al - Majud al - Kadran
Child killed
Unnamed child of Mohammed al - Majud al - Kadran
Child killed
Unnamed child of Mohammed al - Majud al - Kadran
Child killed
Unnamed child of Mohammed al - Majud al - Kadran
Child killed

Individuals

Khaled Salim Al-Suwaiy’i
killed
Musab Ghadir Al-Obeid
82 years old killed

Key Information

Country
Military Actor
Strike Type
Airstrike
Strike Status
Declared strike
Civilian Harm Reported
Yes
Civilian Harm Status
Contested
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Civilians reported killed
8–14
3–5 Children, 3–4 Women, 1–2 Men
Civilians reported injured
0–2

Geolocation Notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Al Baghouz (الباغوز), for which the generic coordinates are: 34.4641667, 40.9452778. 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 evidence of civilian harm
Civilian deaths conceded
None
Civilian injuries conceded
None
MGRS coordinate
37SFU786153
U.S.-led Coalition Strike Report
Between Jan. 13 - 26, 2019, CJTF-OIR conducted 645 strikes consisting of 1,360 engagements in Syria, and conducted nine strikes consisting of 12 engagements in Iraq. In Syria, 645 strikes engaged 394 ISIS tactical units, and destroyed 244 fighting positions, 172 supply routes, 85 staging areas, 21 vehicles, 17 buildings, 15 vehicle borne improvised explosive devices, 14 mortar launching sites, 13 manufacturing facilities for improvised explosive devices, 12 command and control nodes, nine tunnels, eight weapons catches, seven pieces of engineering equipment, five launching sites for unmanned aircraft systems, two weapons storage facilities, two mortar tubes, two improvised explosive devices, one unmanned aircraft system, one machine gun, one logistic node and one check point.
French Military Strike Report
For Jan 23rd-29th, France reported that French Rafales conducted 7 strikes south of Hajin on ISIS fighters in the mid-Euphrates Valley.
U.S.-led Coalition Civilian Casualty Statement
2021-09-20
SOUTHWEST ASIA – Since the beginning of operations in 2014, the Coalition and partner forces have liberated nearly 110,000 square kilometers (42,471 square miles) from Daesh, eliminating their self-proclaimed territorial caliphate and freeing 7.7 million people from Daesh oppression. The Coalition will continue to work with partner forces to deny Daesh any physical space and influence in the region as well as deny Daesh the resources they need to resurge. The Coalition conducted 34,991 strikes between August 2014 and the end of July 2021. During this period, based on information available, CJTF-OIR assesses at least 1,417 civilians have been unintentionally killed by Coalition actions since the beginning of Operation Inherent Resolve. We follow a rigid targeting process for all of our strikes to ensure strict adherence to the Law of Armed Conflict while attempting to avoid collateral damage. Every accidental loss of life is tragic, and it will remain our goal to take all feasible precautions to avoid putting civilians in danger in our pursuit of a ruthless enemy. In the month of July, CJTF-OIR carried over 106 open reports from previous months and received no new reports. CJTF-OIR completed two civilian-casualty allegation assessment reports. CJTF-OIR assessed both reports as non-credible. 105 reports are still open, including one that CJTF-OIR had previously closed but reopened due to the availability of new information. The results of each investigation of an allegation will fall into one of two categories, either "credible" or "non-credible." An assessment of "credible" means that our team investigated the allegation and determined that, based on available evidence, more likely than not, the death was the result of Coalition action. A "non-credible" evaluation means that the information we have to assess the allegation, using our available resources, cannot determine, to the standard of "more likely than not", that the death was the result of Coalition action. There could be a number of reasons for this, to include no corroborating strikes at that time or that location, there was insufficient evidence to support the allegation, or there is simply insufficient or overly vague data in the allegation itself. It is important to note that while the Coalition has a substantial quantity of data at its disposal to investigate every claim, we welcome any information from any source that will enable us to determine the truth. Furthermore, we routinely reopen closed investigations based on new information that might help us attain more accurate results. Non-Credible Reports: After a thorough review of the facts and circumstances of each civilian casualty report, CJTF-OIR assessed the following two reports as non-credible. At this time there is insufficient information to assess that, more likely than not, a Coalition action resulted in civilian casualties. Numeric Key: [CJTF-OIR Allegation Number] / [Non-Governmental Organization Allegation Number] [Grid Coordinate]. The Military Grid Reference System coordinates specified in these reports are derived from the original allegation source. 1. Nov. 24, 2018, near Hajin, Syria via Airwars report. After a review of all available records it was determined that, more likely than not, civilian casualties did not occur as a result of a Coalition action. 3246/CS1857 37SFU677407 2. Jan. 29, 2019, in al Baghouz, Syria, via Airwars report. After a review of all available records it was determined that, more likely than not, civilian casualties did not occur as a result of a Coalition action. 3268/CS1893 37SFU786153

Media From Sources (1)