Geolocation
Airwars assessment
In a fresh day of reported Coalition airstrikes on Mosul University, local sources said three university professors and some of their families were killed and many other civilians wounded, after jets hit academic residences. Up to 15 Daesh fighters also reportedly died.
Heavy Coalition activity above the city was reported from dawn onwards. Yagen was among the news outlets reporting that strikes on “professors’ residences” killed eight civilians. Radio Zuhor claimed that “One university professor recognized his wife from her hand only, specifically a wedding ring, after her body was torn to shreds.”
ARA News reported an eyewitness within Mosul as saying that “dozens of Daesh elements have been killed in an intense aerial bombardment by Coalition aircraft targeting the University of Mosul – where the organization responded by using anti-aircraft from inside residential neighbourhoods, while indifferent to the consequences.”
Multiple sources published five victim names, included their families members. Most of the victims were professors that are working at the University or staff members.
In its July 2017 civilian casualty report, the Coalition deemed the incident non-credible due to insufficient evidence of civilian harm: “Mar. 22, 2016, near Mosul, Iraq, via Airwars report: After a review of available information and strike video it was assessed that there is insufficient evidence to find that civilians were harmed in this strike.”
Based on available evidence, Airwars continues to assess this event as Fair – and has requested additional clarification from the Coalition.
This strike was the subject of a 2023 investigation by NOS, Nieuwsuur and NRC, in collaboration with Airwars, which revised its location to the following coordinates: 36.382227, 43.137122.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Family members (5)
Family members (3)
The victims were named as:
Summary
Sources (15) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]
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Professor Dhafer Ramadan Al Badrani, reported killed in alleged Coalition strike on Mosul March 22nd (via Bashar al Talib)
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An image of the victim Qusay Muthafar Jalaleddin, jurisdiction and professor of the Arabic language and Arabic literature, killed in an alleged coalition airstrike on Mosul (via Ein al Mosul news)
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention a residential building struck in the vicinity of the University of Mosul (جامعة الموصل). In 2016, Airwars listed the location of the strike at the following coordinates: 36.3810326, 43.1546992. A 2023 report by NOS, Nieuwsuur and NRC, in collaboration with Airwars, revised the location of the strike to the following exact coordinates: 36.382227, 43.137122.
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.
US-led Coalition Assessment:
Civilian casualty statements
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After a review of available information and strike video it was assessed that there is insufficient evidence to find that civilians were harmed in this strike.
Original strike reports
For March 22nd-23rd 2016, the Coalition reports that “Near Mosul, three strikes [1 French] struck an ISIL headquarters, an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL assembly area and an ISIL vehicle.”