Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Belligerent
Country
Libya
start date
end date
Civilian Harm Status
Belligerent Assessment
Declassified Documents
Infrastructure

Incident Code

Lib2011-162

Incident date

September 15, 2011

Location

الحي رقم 2, Neighbourhood No 2, Sirte, Libya

Geolocation

31.208213, 16.566095 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Between 30 and 64 civilians were allegedly killed in a NATO airstrike on neighbourhood No 2 in Sirte.

Mustafa Al Fitouri wrote in his book, naming 46 civilians: “The seventh air strike took place in Sirte on 15th September at 7pm where the warplanes targeted a gathering of civilian vehicles inside and near it a group of youth civilians and led to killing between 30 and 58 civilians and I were able to documunate number of them.”

Tk Yahrouq Kl shy posted 58 names of which four belong to another incident.

Sirte September 15th martyrs wrote: “On that sad evening, when NATO aircraft bombed a group of young people and children from civilians of the city of Sirte in District No. 2.

The victims of that treacherous attack were 58 young men and children.”

Afrigate News put the death toll at 56.

Salah Traboulsi said 59 people had been killed.

Number 15th martyrs posted a list with 65 names on Facebook, one of them belonging to a different incident.

NATO declared having hit “1 Military Storage Facility, 2 Armed Vehicles, 1 Tank, 4 Multiple Rocket Launchers, 8 Air Missile Systems” near Sirte on that day.”

It later assessed the incident saying: “Multiple vehicles with substantial numbers of associated military personnel on the ground over an extended period.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (11)

Age unknown male killed
Adult male killed
Adult male killed
Age unknown male killed
Adult male killed
Age unknown male killed
Age unknown male killed
Child male killed
Age unknown male killed

Family members (14)

Age unknown male killed
Age unknown male killed
Age unknown male killed
Adult male killed
Adult male killed
Age unknown male killed
Age unknown male killed
Age unknown female killed

Family members (5)

Age unknown male killed
Adult male killed
Adult male killed

The victims were named as:

Age unknown male killed
Age unknown male killed
Adult male killed
Age unknown male killed
Adult male killed
Age unknown male killed
Age unknown male killed
Age unknown male killed
Adult male killed
Adult male killed
Age unknown male killed
Adult male killed
Adult male killed
Age unknown male killed
Age unknown male killed
Age unknown male killed
Age unknown male killed
Age unknown male killed
Age unknown male killed
Age unknown male killed
Adult male killed
Age unknown female killed
Age unknown female killed
Age unknown female killed
Age unknown male killed
Adult male killed
Age unknown male killed
Age unknown male killed
Age unknown male killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    30 – 64
  • (2 children4 women27 men)
  • 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 attacker
    NATO forces
  • Suspected target
    Gaddafi forces

Sources (69) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (8) [ collapse]

  • Miftah Al-Ammari, allegedly killed by NATO airstrike on Sirte on September 15th, 2011 (via Sirte september 15th martyrs)
  • Ahmed Abu Shweishah, allegedly killed by NATO airstrike on Sirte on September 15th, 2011 (via Sirte september 15th martyrs)
  • Abdullah Milad Majdoubi Gaddafi, allegedly killed by NATO airstrike on Sirte on September 15th, 2011 (via Sirte september 15th martyrs)
  • Ali Hasan Al Mabrouk Al Warfali, allegedly killed by NATO airstrike on Sirte on September 15th, 2011 (via Sirte september 15th martyrs)
  • Yusef Arhumah Abusaksa Al-Sulaimani, allegedly killed by NATO airstrike on Sirte on September 15th, 2011 (via Sirte september 15th martyrs)
  • Tariq Muhammad Al-Sharif, allegedly killed by NATO airstrike on Sirte on September 15th, 2011 (via Sirte september 15th martyrs)
  • Hatem Jibril Souf Al-Droui and Moez Juma'a Souf, allegedly killed by NATO airstrike on Sirte on September 15th, 2011 (via Sirte september 15th martyrs)
  • Victims allegedly killed by NATO airstrike on Sirte on September 15th, 2011 (via Sirte september 15th martyrs)

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention the neighbourhood No. 2 (الحي رقم 2) of Sirte (سرت‎), for which the generic coordinates are: 31.208213, 16.566095. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

  • Reports of the incident mention the neighbourhood No. 2 (الحي رقم 2) of Sirte (سرت‎).

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

NATO forces Assessment:

  • Known belligerent
    NATO forces
  • NATO forces 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 evidence of civilian harm
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None

Civilian casualty statements

NATO forces
  • Mar 8, 2011
  • Multiple vehicles with substantial numbers of associated military personnel on the ground over an extended period.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    30 – 64
  • (2 children4 women27 men)
  • 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 attacker
    NATO forces
  • Suspected target
    Gaddafi forces

Sources (69) [ collapse]

Incident Code

LC117

Incident date

April 16, 2019

Location

محطة وقود البوعيشي, Al Buashi gas station, Tripoli, Libya

Geolocation

32.790437, 13.179721 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Nearby landmark level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

An elder woman was reported killed and between one and four civilians injured from indiscriminate artillery shelling on Ain Zara.

Aksa Net posted a video with a man claiming the death of the woman.

Riyadh Burshan said one woman was injured and posted images of the site of the incident.

Tk yhrog kl shy2 wrote: “Yesterday night a shell fell on the Al-Milo family house in Ain Zara behind the petrol station (Al Buashi), wounding four young brothers, three had limbs amputated and the fourth in serious condition in the care.”

Local reports point at the GNA or the LNA as perpetrators of the shelling.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–4
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Government of National Accord, Libyan National Army

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • Pictures from the incident
  • Video claiming the death of the woman

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the Al Buashi Gas Station (محطة وقود البوعيشي), for which the generic coordinates are: 32.790437, 13.179721. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Government of National Accord Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Government of National Accord
  • Government of National Accord position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Libyan National Army Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Libyan National Army
  • Libyan National Army position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–4
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Government of National Accord, Libyan National Army

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Incident Code

LC138

Incident date

May 12, 2019

Location

ناصر, Naser, Zawiya, Libya

Geolocation

32.432880, 12.657010 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Up to three civilians were allegedly killed in an airstrike on Naser. Different sources accused the LNA, UAE or Egypt.

Ibrahim Kasuda said: “The UAE assault plane targets a citizen’s car in the village of Naser in the south of Zawiya, killing all in the car and the supporters of Haftar describe it as an ammunition truck.”

Mona Al-Hur accused the UAE and Egypt of conducting the strike, also saying everyone in the car was killed without giving a number of casualties.

Asstor wrote: “An airstrike carried out by Haftar aircraft targeting small civilian vehicles claiming to carry weapons and ammunition in the area south of the city of Zawiya, killing three people and wounding two which are in serious condition.”

Anis Abdalgawad and Son of Libya Sartawi said the car was in fact an ammunition truck. Tak.yuharq.kl.shy added that one of the victims was Abdulmajid Bin Koura, supposedly an arms dealer with a criminal record.

Libyan citizen later said on Twitter that Ahmad Aldabbashi, an alleged human trafficker and oil smuggler, was killed in the strike as well.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Abdulmajid Bin Koura
Adult male killed
Ahmad Aldabbashi
Adult male killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (2 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Libyan National Army, Unknown, Egyptian Military

Sources (8) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (4) [ collapse]

  • Pictures of the aftermath
  • Pictures of Abdulmajid Bin Koura, supposedly killed in the event
  • Video of the alleged aftermath
  • Picture of Ahmad Aldabbashi

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the city of Naser (ناصر), for which the generic coordinates are: 32.43288, 12.65701. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Libyan National Army Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Libyan National Army
  • Libyan National Army position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Unknown Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Unknown
  • Unknown position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Egyptian Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (2 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Libyan National Army, Unknown, Egyptian Military

Sources (8) [ collapse]

Incident Code

LC099

Incident date

November 29, 2018

Location

العوينات, Al Uwaynat, Ghat, Libya

Geolocation

25.772877, 10.558719 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Eleven civilians were reported killed as a result of a US airstrike near Al Uwaynat. The event marks the biggest single allegation of civilian harm against the United States in Libya so far.

Initial reports had indicated that the US had targeted Al Qaeda members with a precision strike near the town in the south of Libya. AFRICOM confirmed the strike a days later saying that “U.S. Africa Command conducted a precision airstrike near Al Uwaynat, Libya, November 29, 2018, killing eleven (11) al-Qa’ ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) terrorists and destroying three (3) vehicles.” It added that “at this time, we assess no civilians were injured or killed in this strike.”

On December 2nd, however, SITE Intelligence group reported that “Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), al-Qaeda’s branch in Mali, reportedly rejected the claim by U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) that its airstrike in Libya killed 11 al-Qaeda members, alleging instead that the victims were Tuaregs with no connection to the group.”

Two days later protests by Tuaregs in Al Uwaynat followed, claiming those killed in the attack where civilian tribespeople. The Libya Observer wrote: “Members of the Tuareg community gathered in Ubari town in southwestern Libya to condemn in the strongest terms the airstrike conducted by US Africa Command (AFRICOM) near Awaynat town last Thursday, which killed 11 people; AFRICOM claimed they were al-Qaeda militants.

The protesters accused AFRICOM of killing 11 innocent people under the pretext of terrorism and without any evidence substantiating their guilt, denouncing what they described the defamation and the media disinformation campaign against the martyrs of the ‘horrific Awaynat massacre,’ in reference to those killed in the airstrike.

Banners were raised against AFRICOM, accusing it of killing innocent people on charges of terrorism and rejecting the killing and exterminating of Tuareg ‘via phone calls’. The protesters called on the Attorney-General and the Interior Ministry to open an investigation into the attack to determine the facts and circumstances.

In a statement issued during the stand, the tribe members demanded in the name of the persons entitled to claim retaliation and in the name of Tuareg Tribe elders and dignitaries, the Presidential Council, the House of Representatives, and the High Council of State to open an impartial international and local investigation in what they called the ‘Awaynat massacre’ in no more than 48 hours, warning to step up their protest if their demands were not met.”

In addition, the article said that the “statement insisted that the victims included civilians and military personnel, among them, was a field commander in Al-Bunyan Al-Marsous, who fought terrorism in Sirte to offer his country security and stability.”

The statement also described the convoy that was bombed to have been “on its way to rescue a group of Tuareg, near the Algerian border, who were encountering a smuggling gang attempting to smuggle heavy machinery to Algeria.”

Rpoh Libya posted a video of Moses Tony on Facebook, allegedly showing him fighting ISIS in Sirte. The post says he was killed in the “unprovoked” strike.

A Facebook post by “No to the Brotherhood and extremists in Libya” says that Issa Mousi Ahmed Malik Taraki was killed “in an airstrike carried out by AFRICOM by unmanned aerial vehicles, which targeted three four-wheel-drive vehicles belonging to Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) while they were in the area of Wadi Filalin-Awainat, north of Ghat. However, there are voices from the Tuareg tribes refusing that the targeted group is linked to Al-Qaeda (Sahel and Sahara), led by the Algerian leader Jamal Akasha and the Meccan Yahia Abualhamam, and that this group was fighting ISIS in Sirte.”

Responding to a second request about the incident by Airwars, AFRICOM stated: “At this time, we still assess that no civilians were injured or killed as part of the Nov. 29 air strike. However, we are aware of reports alleging civilian casualties resulting from the Nov. 29 airstrike near Al Uwaynat. As with any allegation of civilian casualties we receive, U.S. Africa Command will review any information it has about the incident, including any relevant information provided by third parties. If the information supporting the allegation is determined to be credible, USAFRICOM will then determine the next appropriate step. USAFRICOM complies with the law of armed conflict and takes all feasible precautions during the targeting process to minimise civilian casualties and other collateral damage.”

Al Jazeera later published an article with the names of the remaining victims, again quoting locals saying none of them were members of Al Qaeda.
An article in the Intercept published April 3, 2022 gives more information into those killed and details a new criminal complaint filed in Italy regarding the incident. Madogaz Musa Abdullah, the brother of one of the victims, told the Intercept that “AFRICOM killed 11 people on the basis that they were terrorists, but these young men were completely against terrorism. They were killed without evidence. I challenge AFRICOM to produce evidence that even one of these men was on a U.S. target list.” Abdullah, along with a spokesperson for his ethnic Tuareg community and representatives of three nongovernmental organizations, filed a criminal complaint against the former Italian commander at the U.S. air base in Sigonella, Sicily, seeking accountability for his role in the killings. The complaint has asked the public prosecutor’s office in Siracusa, where the base is located, to investigate and prosecute Col. Gianluca Chiriatti and other Italian officials involved in the attack for murder.
Legal documents obtained by the Intercept allegedly show that “most of the men killed were members of the Libyan armed forces; several had previously fought against Al Qaeda or even alongside the United States when it battled the Islamic State in the city of Sirte two years earlier. The men were armed and heading from their homes in Ubari, a village in southwest Libya, toward the Algerian border to assist fellow community members who had been attacked by a gang with whom they were feuding over abandoned construction equipment.”
The complaint also reads that “The eleven victims were not members of Al Qaeda or any other terrorist organization and were not combatants: they were travelling to retrieve an excavator that was the subject of a dispute with another group. These murders, committed outside of any armed conflict and therefore qualifying as an extraterritorial law enforcement operation, are in direct contrast with Italian and international regulations on the use of lethal force.”
The community spokesperson, a former employee of the United Nations Development Program who brought the criminal complaint, said that “Musa Ala al-Tuni was a field commander in the armed forces of the GNA army and a member of al-Bayan al-Marsous, the division of the GNA army which fought alongside the United States to drive ISIS out of Sirte. The [Libyan] head of the Sirte operation said publicly that it was impossible for Musa to be associated in any way with terrorist organizations.” Madogaz Musa Abdullah’s younger brother, Nasser, was also a member of the GNA and had been a security officer for former Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani. Abdullah provided Reprieve with Nasser’s military identification card. “Most of the people with my brother in the car at the time were well known and respected as soldiers in the national Armed Forces,” he said in a sworn statement.
AFRICOM spokesperson Kelly Cahalan told The Intercept that “We are aware of the reports of civilian casualties from this strike. U.S. Africa Command followed the civilian casualty assessment process in place at the time and determined that the reports were unsubstantiated. The command’s assessment process draws from information from reliable and layered intelligence sources and classified operational reporting which are not available to the public. This can contribute to perceived discrepancies between the command’s results and those of others.”
An article in Avvenire also detailed the victims of the strikes and described the case being filed in Italy against the commanders responsible for the strikes. According to Avvenire, Al Qaeda “categorically denied” that the killed were members of Al Qaeda with a statement on December 5, 2018. “Seven of the killed – Musa Ala Tuni Mohammed, Ighias Akhreeb Aksasooni, Al Mahmoud Ayoub Ibrahim, Hassan Mohammed Abu Baker al Sagheer, Eyad Mohammad Ighali Mohammed in addition to Nasser Musa – moreover, as evidenced by the documents to which Avvenire had access to, they worked for the armed forces of the government of national agreement, an ally of the West in the fight against ISIS which at the time surrounded Libya. Another two, Ibrahim and Ahmed Umla Mohammed Fono, were training to enter it. Nasser Abdullah was a security guard of the then prime minister Abdullah al-Thani while Musa Mohammed, in 2016, had fought, along with the US, to expel the caliphate of Sirte. The last two that were killed – Ahmed Kober al-Khadeer and Jumma Akhreeb, were a teacher and an educator.”
“From the field surveys carried out, from the analysis of the documents, from the collection of testimony, we can say with certainty that they were eleven innocent people, shot while traveling in the desert in search of scrap vehicles to be resold” said Jennifer Gibson, lawyer for Reprieve. “They did it to feed their families: the prolonged conflict had blocked tourism, a source of livelihood for Tuareg communities” added Francesca Cancellaro, lawyer of the three NGOs.
Avvenire also provided information on the complaint filed in Italy: the complaints claim that the November raid started from the Sigonella base, normally used by AFRICOM as part of the anti-ISIS “Odyssey lightning” air campaign to free Sirte. “The day of the attack, Italmiradar, an organization that tracks air traffic, reported the flight going and returning of a Global Hawk drone from Sigonella towards the area where al-Awaynat is located. Testimony and analysis of the land would indicate, also, that the plane came from the north. The only other two US bases in the region – 101 N’Djamey and 201 Agadez, both in Niger, are south. “The first, in addition, is an hour farther away in respect to Sigonella and there is no evidence that it had been previously used for a raid in Libya. The second, instead, is closer but was equipped with drones only a year after” confirmed Gibson. If, effectively, the drone left from Sicily, the organizations accuse italy of participating in an illegal operation. In 2018, “Odyssey lightning” was over so the US was no longer directly involved in the Libyan conflict. Their actions, therefore, should be placed not in the context of the law of war but in that of human and criminal rights… The complaint wants to ascertain the responsibility of Italy, explained in the 2006 agreement on the use of the Sigonella base by the US, gives a guarantee role and related powers of intervention to prevent any wrongdoings of use.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Issa Mossa Ahmed Malik
25 years old male Student killed
Mossa Alah Toni Mohammed
34 years old male Soldier killed
Ibrahim Olma
32 years old male Soldier killed
Soti
45 years old male Soldier killed
Naser Mossa Waresmet Abdullah
34 years old male Soldier killed
Al-Mahmoud Ayoub Ibrahim
37 years old male Soldier killed
Hassan Mohammed Ibrahim al-Saghiar
30 years old male Soldier killed
Ahmed Kober Ahmed al-Khadir
28 years old male Soldier killed
Eyad Mohammad Aghali Mohammed
25 years old male Civilian killed
Jumma Agraib Shukri
Adult male killed
Ahmed Omla Mohammed Fono
30 years old male Soldier killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0 – 11
  • (11 men)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    US Forces

Sources (31) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (12) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Images of the aftermath of the attack
  • A picture allegedly showing smoke rising in the desert after the attack
  • Another image of the scorched car (via Al Marsad)
  • Another image of the scorched car (via Al Marsad)
  • Another image of the scorched car (via Al Marsad)
  • Images showing the protest after the attack and the statement issued by the Tuareg
  • More images of the protests
  • Issa Mousi Ahmed Malik Taraki
  • Poster from the demonstration saying: "AFRICOM forces kill our sons under the so-called War on Terror" (via Libya's Channel)
  • Banner from the demonstration showing the names and ages of the victims (via Al Jazeera)
  • The Taureg community protests drone strikes by U.S. AFRICOM in the region while holding a banner showing the photographs of their community members killed in a November 2018 lethal strike. Photos: Courtesy of Reprieve

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Al Uwaynat (العوينات), for which the generic coordinates are: 25.772877, 10.558719. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

US Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US Forces
  • US Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0 – 11
  • (11 men)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    US Forces

Sources (31) [ collapse]

Incident Code

LC429

Incident date

May 25, 2022

Location

أبو سليم, Abo Salim, Tripoli, Libya

Geolocation

32.852987, 13.184588 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A mortar shell injured at least two civilians when it hit Omdurman, the Abu Salim area of Tripoli, Libya on May 25th 2022, according to local sources.

According to @KhaledDernah3, the injuries were of the “city team player”, Anwar Makhlouf, and his friend, Fathi Baira, who had minor injuries. Both were transferred to Al-Khadra Hospital for treatment for shrapnel wounds.

A Facebook post by Tripolistreets0 identified Anwar as having a shrapnel in his foot.

The source also said that the projectile was from a 23-caliber weapon.

There is no reference in any source which identifies the belligerent.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Anwar Makhlouf
Age unknown male injured
Fathi Baira
Age unknown male injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • 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.
  • Suspected attacker
    Unknown

Sources (12) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • Anwar Makhlouf, a football player, injured when a mortar hit him and his friend in Abo Salim, Tripoli on May 25th 2022 (Image via @salaaah62 / Twitter)
  • Fathi Baira, injured when a mortar hit him and his friend in Abo Salim, Tripoli on May 25th 2022 (Image via @salaaah62 / Twitter)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention Omdurman (ام درمان) in the Abo Salim (أبو سليم) neighbourhood of Tripoli (طرابلس). The generic coordinates for Omdurman are: 32.852987, 13.184588. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

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Unknown Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Unknown
  • Unknown position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • 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.
  • Suspected attacker
    Unknown

Sources (12) [ collapse]

Incident Code

LC119

Incident date

April 19, 2019

Location

قصر بن غشير, Qasr Bin Gashir, Tripoli, Libya

Geolocation

32.688716, 13.173889 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

One child allegedly died from indiscriminate artillery shelling on Qasr Bin Gashir near Tripoli.

Mohamed Al Terhouni posted on Facebook: “Today my wife’s cousin, Radwan Milad Attiya, died because of a mortar shell. My wife’s brother and his cousin were slightly injured.”

Mohammed A Alhise said that the two injured were both cousin’s of Attiya.

Other sources provided similar information and posted pictures of the victim.

Local reports of shelling point at GNA or LNA as the perpetrator of the attack.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Radwan Milad Attiya
Child male killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Government of National Accord, Libyan National Army

Sources (7) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • Photos os the victim and the incident
  • Another picture of the victim

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Qasr Bin Gashir (قصر بن غشير), for which the generic coordinates are: 32.688716, 13.173889. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Government of National Accord Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Government of National Accord
  • Government of National Accord position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Libyan National Army Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Libyan National Army
  • Libyan National Army position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Government of National Accord, Libyan National Army

Sources (7) [ collapse]

Incident Code

LC140

Incident date

May 14, 2019

Location

الملجأ, Almalja, Tripoli, Libya

Geolocation

32.68869, 13.174971 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Up to six civilians were reported killed by indiscriminate shelling on Qasr Bin Gashir, likely conducted by the GNA.

The General Command of the Libyan Armed Forces showed the image of an injured child.

Qasr Bin Gashir Official reported the death of Ahmed al-Mazougi.

Qalam Rasas said: “The death toll has risen to 6, including a woman, a baby and a 7-year-old girl. Rocket attacks on the militias of the Sarraj government targeted their homes in the area of Qasr Bin Ghashir south of the capital Tripoli.”

Almarsad published a more detailed summary of events: “The number of people killed in a rocket attack of GNA forces in the Qasr Bin Gashir area, has risen to six civilians, including infant and a seven-year-old girl from the Faraj Beshish family.

Residents of the neighborhood told them that at least three rockets landed on the densely populated “Al Malja neighborhood ” in the Qasr Bin Gashir municipality. Ahmed Fathi al-Hadi al-Mazouji and his mother, a eight-month pregnant woman, Hanan, and four others were injured. Including his brother and sister.

One of the rockets targeted the house of Hammadi al-Tarhouni, wounding a housewife called ‘Aisha’, an elderly woman who was seriously wounded. She was taken to the hospital in critical condition, and a fire broke out in the two houses. Faraj Bishish accompanied her pregnant mother as shown in this video clip just before inside the hospital.

In the same area, another missile hit cars parked in front of houses in the same neighborhood, causing the fire to erupt as people tried to control the fire.”

An on-the-ground investigation by Amnesty International later concluded: Fragments recovered at the scene confirm that heavy artillery projectiles were used in this attack. As even modern artillery has a circular error probable (CEP) of at least 100 meters at the weapon’s typically employed range, this weapon is not appropriate for use in dense urban environments. The site of the strike was over two kilometres behind the front line, and no military target was visible on satellite imagery of the time. Direct attacks targeting civilians may constitute war crimes.

The incident occured at 00:15:00 local time.

The victims were named as:

Ahmed al-Mazougi
Child male killed
Ahmed Fathi al-Hadi al-Mazouji
Age unknown male injured
Aisha
Adult female Housewife injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6
  • (2 children1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    7
  • 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.
  • Suspected attacker
    Government of National Accord

Sources (11) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]

  • Ahmed al-Mazougi, supposedly killed in the incident
  • Another picture of Ahmed al-Mazougi and more photos from the aftermath of the attack
  • Pictures of the victims in the second tweet

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention the neighbourhood of Almalja (الملجأ), for which the generic coordinates are: 32.68869, 13.174971. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

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  • Reports of the incident mention the neighbourhood of Almalja (الملجأ).

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

Government of National Accord Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Government of National Accord
  • Government of National Accord position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6
  • (2 children1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    7
  • 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.
  • Suspected attacker
    Government of National Accord

Sources (11) [ collapse]

Incident Code

LC100a

Incident date

January 16, 2019

Location

قصر بن غشير, Qasr Bin Gashir, Tripoli, Libya

Geolocation

32.688716, 13.173889 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Mahmoud Shalbik, a 23-year-old university student from Tripoli, was reportedly killed during armed clashes in the Libyan capital.

While most sources reported he was killed by stray bullet, UNSMIL said the “student at the University of Tripoli, Faculty of Economics, was killed at his home as result of incriminate shelling.”

Abdulrahman Ghummied stated on Twitter: “The young man “Mahmoud Shalbik” died because of a stray bullet and his friends survived driving to his house next to the bridge of Ben Ghashir.”

Local reports point at GNA-affiliated militia or the 7th Brigade as potential perpetrators of the shelling.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Mahmoud Shalbik
23 years old male killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 man)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Government of National Accord, 7th Brigade

Sources (6) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (5) [ collapse]

  • Picture of the victim
  • Picture of a demonstration for the victim
  • Another picture of the demonstration for the victim
  • Another picture of the demonstration for the victim
  • Another picture of the demonstration for the victim

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention Qasr Bin Gashir (قصر بن غشير), for which the generic coordinates are: 32.688716 13.173889. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Government of National Accord Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Government of National Accord
  • Government of National Accord position on incident
    Not yet assessed

7th Brigade Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    7th Brigade
  • 7th Brigade position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 man)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Government of National Accord, 7th Brigade

Sources (6) [ collapse]