Incident Code

CI227

Location

حلبسة, Halabisa, Al Anbar, Iraq

Geolocation

33.329165, 43.718515
Accuracy: Village

Airwars Assessment

Last Updated: December 15, 2024

(Previous Incident Code: I192)

Local sources claimed that Coalition aircraft struck homes in an afternoon attack on Halabsa village west of Fallujah, killing six civilians and injuring another 12 or more, “most of them children and women.”

News Fallujah pictured a young survivor of the event, noting: “Yousif Mushtak Talib Al Halbusi : His mother was killed and his father( Mushtak Talib) and sister( Mariam) were injured today afternoon by the bombing.”

News of Iraq only reported ‘heavy shelling’ on the village, and did not attribute responsibility for the civilian deaths. And Yaqen – which placed the death toll higher at eight – also blamed the attack on unidentified aircraft, with its reporter noting that “the bombing targeted the homes of civilians in different parts of the city of Fallujah which also left material damage.

Iraqi Spring instead blamed Iraq militarily for the deaths of three civilians “in [the] Zoyya area west of Fallujah.”

Iraqi Revolution reported that a female child also died the following day of injuries sustained in the event (see picture).

In the first of their March 2020 civilian casualty reports, 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.

Victims

Family members (3)

Child female (via News Fallujah now) injured
Adult male (via News Fallujah now) killed
Adult female (via News Fallujah now) killed

Invidivuals

Child female (via Iraqi revolution) killed

Key Information

Country
Military Actor
Civilian Harm Reported
Yes
Civilian Harm Status
Contested
Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
Civilians reported killed
4–9
1 Child, 2 Women, 1 Man
Civilians reported injured
8–18

Geolocation Notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Halabisa (حلبسة), for which the generic coordinates are: 33.329165, 43.718515. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Military Statements

U.S.-led Coalition Assessment
Suspected belligerent
U.S.-led Coalition
U.S.-led Coalition position on incident
Non credible / Unsubstantiated
Reason for non-credible assessment
No Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area
Civilian deaths conceded
None
Civilian injuries conceded
None
MGRS coordinate
38SLB807885
U.S.-led Coalition Strike Report
For April 17th-18th 2016, the Coalition reported that “Near Fallujah, one strike struck an ISIL tactical unit.”
U.S.-led Coalition Civilian Casualty Statement
2020-03-25
Original Source
April 17, 2016, in Halabisa, 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. 2945/CI227 38SLB807885
Iraq Government Forces Assessment
Suspected belligerent
Iraq Government Forces
Iraq Government Forces position on incident
Not yet assessed

Media From Sources (2)