Conflict

U.S.-led Coalition in Iraq & Syria

Incident Code

CI288

Location

عكاشات, Akashat or Saada, Al Anbar, Iraq

Geolocation

33.6696398, 39.9680901
Accuracy: Village

Airwars Assessment

Last Updated: December 15, 2024

(Previous Incident Code: I243)

An alleged Coalition airstrike in the al Qaim area resulted in the deaths of five civilians including two named children, according to reports.

Yaqein placed the incident on the evening of Saturday 17th. Picture of two unnamed boys emerged the same day, whose deaths were blamed on the Coalition. Two other civilians named as were among those reported killed – and another man was additionally reported killed at Rawa.

Samarra TV located the incident at one of two villages: Local sources confirmed on Saturday, killing a number of civilians, including children, caused by aerial bombardment targeted Akashat and the village of Saada and hand-Obeidi areas in the district-based western Anbar.

Reporting for this event and that above (at Rawa) remains confused.

Given reported British incidents in the area that day, Airwars flagged the incident to the UK’s MoD which said we can confirm that there was no UK involvement in the event.

In their May 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.

Victims

Individuals

male Via Algrbia Alhadath killed
male Via Algrbia Alhadath killed
male Via Rawa killed

Key Information

Country
Military Actor
Civilian Harm Reported
Yes
Civilian Harm Status
Fair
Civilians reported killed
5
2 Children, 2–3 Men
Civilians reported injured
7

Geolocation Notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Akashat or Saada (عكاشات), for which the generic coordinates are: 33.6696398, 39.9680901. 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
37SET897259
U.S.-led Coalition Strike Report
For September 16th-17th 2016, the Coalition reported no strikes near al Qaim, though did declare others in Anbar province: “Near Hit, one strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a building… Near Ramadi, one strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and a staging area and destroyed a fighting position and a building.”
U.S.-led Coalition Civilian Casualty Statement
2020-05-01
Original Source
Sept. 16, 2016, in Akashat, 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. 3048/CI288 37SET897259

Media From Sources (3)