Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

Lib2011-176

Incident date

September 23, 2011

Location

مسكن مصطفى ناجي المرابط, Gidwar family residence, Surt, Libya

Geolocation

31.104167, 16.716944 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Exact location (other) level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Three civilians were allegedly killed and up to four more injured by a NATO airstrike on the Ghardabiya area of Sirte.

A Human Rights Watch investigation found: “On September 23, 2011, around 4 p.m., NATO struck a new house on a farm belonging to the Gidwar family in Gurdabiya, about 20 kilometers east of Sirte. More than a dozen members of the extended family had congregated there after their homes in central Sirte were shelled in fighting, family members said. The strike killed three people: an elderly man and two girls, aged 8 and 10. Three children and a woman were wounded, including a four-year-old who reportedly lost an eye and a 15-year-old who lost his left leg below the knee.

Human Rights Watch visited the house on February 6, 2012 and found no evidence of military activity except one green uniform loosely packed in the rubble and two 14.5 mm spent cartridges on the west side of the house. A family member said he did not know how the uniform or cartridges got there. Other material might have been removed prior to the visit. The strike grazed the northeast corner of the house, causing a crater just outside the building. Most of the house was standing but the floor and kitchen were damaged. Inside the house, Human Rights Watch found remnants of a GBU-12 laser guided bomb, suggesting that is what NATO used.”

The NGO added: “According to two witnesses, the two girls who were killed, Sajida and Esra, were sitting outside with 15-year-old Abdulhamid at the time of the strike. The elderly man who died, Omar Salem Omar Gidwar, 67, a businessman in Sirte, was in the bedroom. Human Rights Watch obtained copies of death reports for all three people.

Abdulhamid was hospitalized for two months for his left leg, which Human Rights Watch saw was amputated below the knee. He was given a prosthetic and walks with a slight limp. He recalled the moment the missile hit the house:

‘I was sitting with my nieces just outside the house on the porch steps… . My sister Afaf stood up outside and came towards us. She said there was a loud sound and shelling or a strike. She heard a missile coming towards us. I didn’t see anything. [The girls] had been singing for 15 minutes, and then the strike happened. After the strike, my nieces were thrown away from me. One was on my right side and one was in front of me. The smoke was all over the place. There was dust and smoke. I felt suffocated. I couldn’t breathe easily. I fainted. I can’t remember much after that.'”

Mustafa Al Fitouri named three victims without mentioning injured casualties.

Stories Sirte and Zangetna Ahlamontada published condolence pages for the victims, saying three were killed and three injured.

NATO on that day reported striking “1 Ammunition Storage Facility, 1 Anti Aircraft Gun, 1 Command and Control Node, 2 Armed Vehicles” near Sirte.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (6)

Sajida Salem Omar Gidwar
8 years old female killed
Esra Salem Omar Gidwar
10 years old female killed
Omar Salem Omar Gidwar
67 years old male killed
Abdulhamid
15 years old male injured
Afaf Salem
Age unknown male injured
Omar Salem Omar Salem Qadawar
4 years old male injured

The victims were named as:

Sajida Salem Omar Gidwar
8 years old female killed
Esra Salem Omar Gidwar
10 years old female killed

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention the house of the Gidwar family (مسكن مصطفى ناجي المرابط) being struck, in the Al Gurdabiya area (القرضابية), the exact location of which has been published by Human Rights Watch. The exact coordinates are: 31.104167, 16.716944.

  • Reports of the incident mention the house of the Gidwar family (مسكن مصطفى ناجي المرابط) being struck, in the Al Gurdabiya area (القرضابية).

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (2 children1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    3–4
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Known belligerent
    NATO forces
  • Known target
    Gaddafi forces

Sources (8) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • Members of the Gidwar family, allegedly killed in a NATO airstrike on Sirte on September 23rd, 2011 (via Sirte Stories)
  • Esra and Sajida Gidwar, allegedly killed in a NATO airstrike on Sirte on September 23rd, 2011 (via We Martyr Muammar Gaddafi)

NATO forces Assessment:

  • Known belligerent
    NATO forces
  • NATO forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

NATO forces

In the vicinity of Sirte: 1 Ammunition Storage Facility, 1 Anti Aircraft Gun, 1 Command and Control Node, 2 Armed Vehicles.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (2 children1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    3–4
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Known belligerent
    NATO forces
  • Known target
    Gaddafi forces

Sources (8) [ collapse]