Airwars assessment
Local sources claimed Coalition aircraft struck the Haswa and Jumeila neighbourhoods in Fallujah at around 9.30pm, hitting civilian homes and causing the deaths of five civilians including two children, and the wounding of seven more civilians.
Al Sharqiya published the most detailed report, saying that Coalition aircraft strikes “resulted in the deaths of five people, all of them women and children, and the wounding of seven others, in addition to inflicting massive destruction on a number of houses.”
Multiple sources named some victims. And also, Iraqi Revolution named two of the wounded children.
However, the source News Fallujah Now reported that “explosive barrels” had been dropped on Fallujah, killing two children – meaning that the regime may have been responsible.
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.
The victims were named as:
Family members (2)
- Fatima Abed Jassim Al Essawi Adult female killed
- Salah Abbas Jassim al-Issawi Adult male killed
Family members (3)
- The wife of Ghazi Khalaf al-Ali al-Jumail Child female (via Fayad Fayad blog) killed
- Ahmed Ghazi Khalaf Ali Al Jumeily Child male (via Fayad Fayad blog) killed
- unnamed daughter of Ghazi Khalaf Ali Al Jumeily Child female (via Fayad Fayad blog) killed
- Mohammed Salah Abbas Child male (Iraqi Revolution) injured
- Osama Salah al-Shami Child male (Iraqi Revolution) injured
Summary
Sources (5) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (4) [ collapse]
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Attached to this civilian harm incident is the Pentagon's declassified assessment of this civilian harm allegation, obtained by Azmat Khan and the New York Times through Freedom of Information requests and lawsuits filed since March 2017, 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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March 31, 2016, in Fallujah, 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. 2918/CI212 38SLB867909
Original strike reports
For March 31st-April 1st 2016, the Coalition has publicly declared no airstrikes in the vicinity of Fallujah.