Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CI347

Incident date

November 23, 2016

Location

القادسية, Mosul, Qadishiyah and Zahra, Nineveh, Iraq

Geolocation

36.3738198, 43.1914616 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Shelling and airstrikes killed 6 civilians and 30 wounded in eastern Mosul, according to local reports.

Reports in Iraq News Center and Al Jazeera referenced dead and wounded civilians in eastern Mosul but did not contain casualty figures. Iraqi Spring Media Center reported that 6 people died and 30 were injured in shelling in east Mosul.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6
  • Civilians reported injured
    30
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    US-led Coalition, Iraq Government Forces

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Smoke rising from reported Coalition airstrikes on Mosul during the 2016-2017 battle to recapture the city. Hundreds of civilian deaths were later confirmed by the US-led Coalition, though none individually by the UK, France or Belgium (via News of Iraq)
CJTF–OIR Declassified Assessment and Press Release

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.

Declassified Assessment Press Release

US-led Coalition Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition
  • US-led Coalition position on incident
    Non credible / Unsubstantiated
    Insufficient information to assess that, more likely than not, a Coalition strike resulted in civilian casualties.
  • Reason for non-credible assessment
    Insufficient information on the time and location
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • Stated location
    near Mosul, Iraq
    Nearest population center

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Aug 4, 2017
  • The report contained insufficient information of the time, location and details to assess its credibility.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

For November 22nd-23rd, the Coalition reported “Near Mosul, four strikes engaged three ISIL tactical units; destroyed six ISIL-held buildings, a mortar system, a vehicle, a weapons cache, a supply cache, and an artillery system; and damaged five supply routes, and a bridge.”

Iraq Government Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Iraq Government Forces
  • Iraq Government Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6
  • Civilians reported injured
    30
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    US-led Coalition, Iraq Government Forces

Sources (3) [ collapse]