At least two civilians and as many as seven were killed, and five injured, in a confirmed Coalition airstrike on an ISIS-controlled bank in central Mosul. The attack was aimed at destroying millions of dollars of terror cash – with US officials prepared to accept up to 50 civilian casualties to achieve their objective, according to CNN.

Two massive 2,000lb bombs were used to destroy the bank in a dawn (or 8 am) strike, according to anonymous US officials. The attack was timed to present the least risk to non-combatants since the bank was “in an area where civilians are also located, and there was a significant risk of civilian casualties.” Aerial shots released by Iraq’s NRN News show the bank in a heavily built-up neighbourhood.

Even so, Pentagon officials told CNN’s Barbara Starr that they were willing to accept dozens of civilian casualties to achieve their goal: “Because civilians were nearby during the daylight hours, and ISIS personnel were working there at night, the decision was made to strike at dawn on Sunday. U.S. commanders had been willing to consider up to 50 civilian casualties from the airstrike due to the importance of the target. But the initial post-attack assessment indicated that perhaps five to seven people were killed.”

A husband and wife who lived next to the building died in the attack, while six other locals were reportedly injured. Daesh propaganda footage suggests extensive damage to the surrounding area.

Some local media reported instead that the target of the strike was not the bank, but a Daesh judge known as Abu Ayyub, who had just moved into a requisitioned building two doors away. According to one local source who contacted Airwars, “the US version offered by CNN appears incorrect, as there appears to have been little money stored at that bank.” Instead according to MRN, the bank handled securities identification and transactions for retirees and civilian staff.

CENTCOM officially admitted civilian casualties on April 22nd 2016, reporting: “On Jan. 11, 2016, near Mosul, Iraq, during a strike on five ISIL individuals guarding an ISIL cash distribution station, it is assessed that one civilian was killed and five were injured.“

In July 2019 the Coalition provided Airwars with coordinates for the event, accurate to within a 100 metre box.

The incident occured at approximately 8:00 am local time.