Airwars assessment
The marketplace in Ar Rutbah was hit in an alleged Coalition airstrike according to reports, killing up to five people and injuring eight more.
An adult male and a young male child were pictured among the dead.
Iraqi Revolution for example reported that “heavy shelling targeted Rutba focused on the market and fuel station and bread ovens; and there are dozens of dead and wounded civilians.”
Photographs published on local sites showed some of the strikes and people fleeing; and a number of destroyed buildings and bodies, some with severed limbs.
In its monthly civilian casualty report for October 2019 – published on December 5th of the same year – the US-led Coalition assessed this event as ‘non credible’, noting: “September 14, 2015, in Ar Rutbah, Iraq, via Airwars report. After a review of all available records it was assessed that no Coalition actions were conducted in the geographical area that corresponds to the report of civilian casualties. 2819/CI104 37SFS203560”.
The Coalition published a location for the assessment identifying to within 100 metres the area where it had focused its review.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
Summary
Sources (9) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (10) [ collapse]
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US-led Coalition Assessment:
Civilian casualty statements
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September 14, 2015, in Ar Rutbah, Iraq, via Airwars report. After a review of all available records it was assessed that no Coalition actions were conducted in the geographical area that corresponds to the report of civilian casualties. 2819/CI104 37SFS203560
Original strike reports
No Coalition strikes were publicly confirmed in the direct vicinity for September 14th-15th 2015, though it was noted that “Near Ramadi, one airstrike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL house-borne IED, an ISIL VBIED, five ISIL buildings, an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL motorcycle.”