Civilians in the ruins of Mosul city. (Maranie R. Staab)
In the highest confirmed civilian casualty event of the war against ISIL, at least 105 and as many as 141 non-combatants were later confirmed by the Coalition as having been killed in a US airstrike on a house in West Mosul’s al Jadida area. At least 137 bodies were reportedly recovered from the scene. Locals
A Coalition airstrike on an Islamic State depot levelled a significant number of buildings, killing an estimated 85 civilians and a large number of militants. A large supply of TNT explosive detonated after the IED-making facility was struck. Bas News described the attack as one of the worst mass casualty incidents in Iraq since the
As the SDF sought to take control of Al-Baghouz, the last ISIS territorial stronghold in Syria, local sources reported on what was referred to as a significant “massacre” in which between 160 and 300 civilians including 45 children were alleged killed by Coalition airstrikes according to local sources. However, Central Command has only admitted to killing
In a major casualty incident at least 40 civilians died (and as many as 420 according to some claims) with dozens more injured in an alleged Coalition airstrike on the al Badiya school in Mansoura, which was said to have housed up to 100 displaced families. Coalition commander Lt General Townsend later denied that the
In a major casualty incident, as many as between 33 and 60 civilians, including many women and children, died following US-led Coalition airstrikes on Al-Sakhani, Raqqa. Almost a year later the US-led alliance accepted responsibility for 33 deaths. According to Baladi, the strike was near the Al-Hani mosque, while Qasioun reported that one of the
A total of 35 people people from an extended family were killed, including 14 children, 9 women and two imams, when a home and street were bombed in the Al Shifa neighbourhood of Mosul. Sources said that the family were sheltering in the basement of the house. Initial claims had placed the toll at 50,
Relatives, local residents and press sources said up to 29 people from two families were killed after Coalition airstrikes struck their houses in the New Mosul neighborhood of West Mosul. The Coalition later conceded causing 27 deaths in the event. According to Al Jazeera Iraq, 29 civilians, mostly children and women, were killed and many
A total of 25 civilians including one woman and 10 children died in SDF/Coalition shelling near the Al Mansouri mosque in Raqqa, according to local media. The US-led Coalition later conceded the event following an Amnesty field investigation. Multiple reports said that a home near the mosque was hit with artillery or mortar shells or
In a major civilian casualty incident, up to 36 civilians including 14 children died and dozens more were wounded in airstrikes on Abu Kamal, near the Syrian-Iraqi border, according to local sources – though reports were conflicted as to whether the US-led Coalition or the Iraqi air force were liable. The Coalition later took responsibility
In what may have been the single greatest loss of life from a Coalition action in the first two years of its war against Daesh, between 78 and 203 civilians were reported killed in a catastrophic event at the village of Tokhar – the scene of a number of other recent civilian fatalities from alleged
Local media and residents reported that 20 civilians were killed and seven houses were destroyed after airstrikes targeted armed ISIL combatants in Zanjili neighborhood, in West Mosul. The strikes were launched opposite the mosque of al-Shaheed Muhammad Nuri. Sawlf Ateka said that the Coalition had targeted a car bomb, which was located at the Hamid
A reported Coalition airstrike on an electricity generating facility reportedly killed up tp 35 civilians and injured 22 more when nearby apartments were caught in the blast, according to reports. The US led Coalition later conceded 18 deaths in this event. At the time of the incident, NINA cited a medical source at the hospital
Local sources initially said that a family of three children and their grandmother were killed after their house was hit by a missile during Coalition raids on the Agricultural residential neighbourhood in central Mosul area, which at the time was under ISIS control. The New York Times later put the overall death toll at 16.
Local sources reported that 16 civilians were killed and many were injured in Coalition and Iraqi government airstrikes on Al-Shafaa neighbourhood in West Mosul. In September 2019 the Coalition accepted responsibility for this incident. Its monthly civilian casualty report noted: “Coalition aircraft conducted an airstrike against a Daesh mortar position. Regrettably, 16 civilians were unintentionally
Sixteen named civilians including eight children and five died in an alleged Coalition airstrike near the Al A’jrawi roundabout in Tabaqa, according to local media. In January 2019, the Coalition accepted responsibility for the event, noting: “ Coalition aircraft engaged with what was positively identified as an ISIS defensive position on the balcony of a house,
At least 22 civilians were killed in a Coalition airstrike on the village of al Ghandourra. According to Syria Newsdesk, the noon strikes hit the main market and the elementary school in the town, which was occupied by so-called ISIL. The US later admitted to inadvertently killing 15 civilians in the incident, claiming that “the
Between 15 and 40 civilians including two to five children and one to three women died, and up to 15 more were injured, in airstrikes on multiple locations in Al Mayadeen. Local sources were initially conflicted as to whether this was the work of the Coalition, Iraqi warplanes or Russia. However, in April 2018 the
Local sources said that Coalition airstrikes targeted a car-bomb and house in Al-Rashidiya neighborhood, in the northeast of Mosul. This also caused the death of 15 civilians, many of them women and children. Ajel Al Mosul reported that “international Coalition airstrikes targeted a car-bomb in Rashidiya area, causing the martyrdom of a man and his
Local residents said 14 civilians from three families were killed in a Coalition airstrike reportedly targeting a car bomb parked near their houses in Nabi Sheet neighborhood, at the right side of Mosul. The sources reported that “the victims’ bodies [are] still under the rubble and could not be pulled out because of the intensification
Local media reported that 13 civilians, including two children, died and eight were wounded in Raqqa’s Al Badou neighbourhood. According to Smart, “13 civilians were killed, including two children, and eight others were wounded in the past 24 hours by an aerial bombardment that is likely to be the international coalition and SDF artillery on
Twelve civilians died and six more were wounded in Coalition air or artillery strikes on Raqqa, according to local media. The action was later confirmed to be a British airstrike. In February 2019, the Coalition accepted responsibility for the event, noting: “Coalition aircraft engaged ISIS fighters utilizing a mortar system in a building used as
Local sources said heavy artillery shelling which targeted Al Arabi neighbourhood at the left side of Mosul had left dozens of civilians dead or wounded. In October 2020, the US-led Coalition conceded killing 12 civilians and injuring a further ten in this event. Iraqyoon said at the time that witnesses had reported to the Iraqi
Several sources reported up to fifteen civilians killed, including ten children and an unspecified number of women, when Coalition or other aircraft allegedly targeted the village of al Helo/ Al Jazza near al Dashisha, in southern Hassaka. Marsad al Hassaka initially stated that the bombardment took place “at dawn today” and caused the death of
Dozens of civilians were reported killed or injured after Coalition airstrikes and possibly unidentified mortars hit houses in Zanjili neighbourhood, in West Mosul. Suhaib Al Mashhadany posted a video on Facebook showing a young girl, allegedly the only survivor of the family after shelling hit their home. Two sources, Iraqyoon and Yaqein, blamed the Coalition
In an incident not previously tracked by Airwars, the Coalition later confirmed the deaths of twelve civilians in an event near Al Mayadin. Their October 2017 civilian casualty report noted: “During a Coalition strike that destroyed one ISIS-held building, it was assessed that 12 civilians were unintentionally killed.” In July 2019 the Coalition provided Airwars
A US airstrike ‘likely’ killed four civilians when a pair of vehicles was hit during an attack on a reported ISIL checkpoint, a CENTCOM investigation later concluded. After a later investigation by the Washington Post found that eleven civilians actually died – including five children, four women and two civilian drivers – the Coalition raised
Local press sources and relatives of victims reported that 21 or more people, including an elderly woman with her two sons and a displaced family, were hit by a rocket. All victims were still under the rubble in Al-Mahatta neighborhood in West Mosul. The Coalition later accepted responsibility for 11 deaths in the attack. Mosul
Eleven civilians were killed in Coalition airstrikes in Raqqa in the northern district of Rumaila, a number of local sources reported. According to Al Araby and the Revolutionary Forces of Syria’s media office, the strikes took place “near the headquarters of al-Hesba” – the base of ISIL’s religious police. The same two sources said a
Up to 13 civilians including between 1 and 5 children from two families died in Coalition airstrikes on Nzalat Shahada, according to local media. 11 of the victims were reportedly from the same family. A year later the US-led alliance accepted responsibility for the deaths. According to the joint Amnesty/Airwars report “War in Raqqa: Rhetoric versus
At least 21 civilians including 13 children reportedly died after an alleged night time Coalition strike on an abandoned factory in Mosul, which was being used by Daesh. The Coalition later said it had targeted an ‘ISIL weapons production facility’ in the city. This may also have been linked to the terror group’s chemical weapons
