Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CI043

Incident date

February 24, 2015

Location

الكرمة, Garma, near Fallujah, Al Anbar, Iraq

Geolocation

33.405, 43.913056 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Seven civilians from one family – including young children – were killed and 8 injured when a house was allegedly struck by a coalition aircraft. However other sources attributed the attack to an artillery assault by the Iraq Army.

The dead were later named by the Iraqi Spring Centre.

Seven additional people were named as severely injured in the event.

In a later report, Baghdad TV claimed that as well as ‘a family of six’ killed in the strike, an additional 14 civilians had died after a total of seven homes were struck.

Local elder Sheikh Mohammed Jumaili demanded that “the federal government open an extensive investigation into the bombing of the coalition flights of civilian targets and homes within the area, despite the absence in the region of any armed groups.”

However, an internal CENTCOM assessment concluded that “The nearest coalition strike IVO [in vicinity of] Al-Kharmah was a single Hellfire missile targeting a Da’ish DsHK weapon 3.5km SW of Al-Karmah, IRQ on 23 FEB 15.”

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (7)

Khudhir Mohammad Farhan Al-Juboori
Adult male Listed by Iraqi Spring Centre, father killed
Ahmad Khudhir Mohammad Farhan
Age unknown male Listed by Iraqi Spring Centre, son killed
Ahlam Abid Nasir
Adult female Listed by Iraqi Spring Centre, mother killed
Najla’a Kareem Hussein Al-Jumeili
Adult female Listed by Iraqi Spring Centre, mother killed
Rimas Sadiq Mohammad
Age unknown female Listed by Iraqi Spring Centre, daughter of Najla’a Kareem Hussein Al-Jumeili killed
Iman Sadiq Mohammad
Age unknown male Listed by Iraqi Spring Centre, daughter of Najla’a Kareem Hussein Al-Jumeili killed
Taha Khalil Ibrahim
Age unknown female Listed by Iraqi Spring Centre killed

The victims were named as:

Kareem Mahdi Salih Al-Halbousi
Adult male Listed by Iraqi Spring Centre, school headmaster injured
Mohammad Tha’ir Al-Mara’awi
Adult male Listed by Iraqi Spring Centre, food supply agent injured
Hakima Khalifa Awad
Age unknown female Listed by Iraqi Spring Centre injured
Ala’a Raid Khairallah
Age unknown male Listed by Iraqi Spring Centre injured
Hamid Mohmoud Salim
Age unknown male Listed by Iraqi Spring Centre injured
Hamid Khalaf Awad
Age unknown male Listed by Iraqi Spring Centre injured
Ahmad Thair Abdullah
Age unknown male Listed by Iraqi Spring Centre injured

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    7 – 20
  • (2 children4 women1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    7
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Discounted
    Those killed were combatants, or other parties most likely responsible.
  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition

Sources (14) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (10) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Islamic State propaganda issued in the wake of the alleged coalition airstrike
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Islamic State propaganda issued in the wake of the alleged coalition airstrike
  • Islamic State propaganda issued in the wake of the alleged coalition airstrike
  • Islamic State propaganda issued in the wake of the alleged coalition airstrike
  • Islamic State propaganda issued in the wake of the alleged coalition airstrike
  • Islamic State propaganda issued in the wake of the alleged coalition airstrike
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Islamic State propaganda issued in the wake of the alleged coalition airstrike
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Islamic State propaganda issued in the wake of the alleged coalition airstrike
  • Islamic State propaganda issued in the wake of the alleged coalition airstrike
  • Islamic State propaganda issued in the wake of the alleged coalition airstrike
CJTF–OIR Declassified Assessment and Press Release

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.

Declassified Assessment Press Release

US-led Coalition Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition
  • US-led Coalition 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
    a:1:{i:0;s:5:"other";}
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • Stated location
    al-Qaim, Iraq
    Nearest population center

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • May 1, 2015
  • Open source media report that the hospital source in al-Qaim, a town on the Euphrates River, hospital said nine civilians were killed and 29 militants were wounded in the strike by the U.S.-led coalition. Some of the wounded were taken across the border to Syria for treatment. / OSINT RPT record via CHOPS. Target identified as an insurgent meeting house/staging house, and was not a hospital.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    7 – 20
  • (2 children4 women1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    7
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Discounted
    Those killed were combatants, or other parties most likely responsible.
  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition

Sources (14) [ collapse]