Airwars assessment
Five Kurdish non-combatants, all from the same family, died in a reported Coalition strike on the village of Fadhiliyah, near Mosul. A major field investigation by the Guardian later identified the dead.
Three family members survived the attack though were injured. Rahim, an eyewitness and relative, told the Guardian: “We wrapped the dead in blankets and buried them the same day.”
CENTCOM later confirmed that the coalition had struck targets at Fadhiliya on April 4, with a spokesman adding that it was “looking into this further”. Local MP Mala Salim Juma Mohammad said he had been able to confirm that the family had no connection to militants, adding of the strike that “It was a mistake. The coalition needs to compensate the family adequately.”
A declassified CENTCOM report published in August 2015 revealed that a US A-10 Warthog had struck the village, in response to a ‘troops in contact’ request by a unit labelled the Irbil Strike Cell. As the report notes, “Strike imagery shows a structure in the strike radius” and a formal investigation was launched into the attack.
This later concluded that no civilians had died in the event, with CENTCOM presently refusing to expedite publication of the report.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Family members (5)
- Hazem Abdulla Shahin 69 years old male Named by The Guardian, father killed
- Nadya Nouri Dawoud 60 years old female Named by The Guardian, mother killed
- Laith Hazem Abdulla 43 years old male Named by The Guardian, son killed
- Hana Ali Abdulla 43 years old female pregnant Named by The Guardian, bride of Laith Hazem Abdulla killed
- Danya Laith Hazem 8 years old male Named by The Guardian, daughter of Laith Hazem Abdulla and Hana Ali Abdulla killed
Summary
Sources (8) [ collapse]
US-led Coalition Assessment:
Civilian casualty statements
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Irbil Strike Cell received a report of Troops in Contact in Mosul