Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CI166

Incident date

December 25, 2015

Location

الرمادي, Ramadi, Al Anbar, Iraq

Geolocation

33.437441, 43.286666 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Military aircraft – which some sources described as the Coalition’s – reportedly killed five civilians in a Christmas Day strike.

According to Al Rafidain the attack could have been the work either of the Iraq Army or the Coalition, noting that “army aviation commander Hamid al-Maliki also confirmed that army helicopters carried out a raid on 50 locations within the city of Ramadi on the day.”

In its July 2017 report the Coalition said it had classed the event as non credible on grounds of limited information: “Dec. 25, 2015, near Ramadi, Iraq, via Airwars report: The report contained insufficient information of the time, location and details to assess its credibility.”

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • Civilians reported injured
    20
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected belligerents
    US-led Coalition, Iraq Government Forces

Sources (5) [ collapse]

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
    Insufficient information on the time and location
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • Stated location
    near Ramadi, Iraq
    Nearest population center

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Jul 7, 2017
  • The report contained insufficient information of the time, location and details to assess its credibility.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

The Coalition reports heavy strikes on the city for December 25th-26th 2015: “Near Ramadi, three strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL tactical vehicles, six ISIL fighting positions, four ISIL vehicles, two ISIL vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) factories, two ISIL heavy machine gun positions, an ISIL sniper position, two ISIL house borne improvised explosive devices (HBIED), and wounded two ISIL fighters.”

Iraq Government Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Iraq Government Forces
  • Iraq Government Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • Civilians reported injured
    20
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected belligerents
    US-led Coalition, Iraq Government Forces

Sources (5) [ collapse]