Airwars assessment
Local sources claimed that at least 13 and as many as 46 civilians from ‘ISIS families’ – including children and women – were killed when their bus was bombed between Qayarrah and Shura south of Mosul as it was trying to cross the Iraqi-Syrian border. The bodies were reportedly transferred to the Forensic Medicine institution in Mosul.
According to reports, the terrorist group has been evacuating family members from Mosul to Syria in anticipation of a government assault.
There was some confusion in reporting. Kitabat said that 13 civilians from one family were killed, along with 46 Daesh militants. However, NINA said members of eight Daesh families died.
In their February 2020 civilian casualty report, the US-led Coalition assessed reports that they were responsible for civilian harm in this strike as “non-credible”, stating that no Coalition actions were conducted in the geographical area at that time.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
Summary
Sources (2) [ collapse]
US-led Coalition Assessment:
Civilian casualty statements
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Feb. 25, 2016, in Qayyarah, 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. 2910/CI195 38SLE457628
Original strike reports
For February 24th-25th 2016, the Coalition reported that “Near Mosul, nine strikes [1 British] struck two separate ISIL tactical units, an ISIL improvised weapons factory, an ISIL IED factory, an ISIL mortar factory, and an ISIL VBIED facility and destroyed seven ISIL fighting positions, and ISIL vehicle, an ISIL light machine gun, and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.”