Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CI487

Incident date

February 25, 2017

Location

وادي حجر, Mosul, Wadi Hajar, Nineveh, Iraq

Geolocation

36.3241, 43.127258 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Within 1m (via Coalition) level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

In an incident not previously tracked by Airwars, the Coalition confirmed the deaths of five civilians in an event in Mosul while survivors’ accounts add that at least three others were severely injured in the airstrikes.

Their June 2017 civilian casualty report noted “During a strike on an ISIS VBIED, it was assessed that five civilians were unintentionally killed.”

An investigation by the New York Times uncovered more details that “following orders from ISIS to evacuate their West Mosul neighborhood, two brothers, Majid Mahmoud Ahmed and Firas Mahmoud Ahmed, were driving with their families in two cars across town. At the same time, coalition forces were monitoring surveillance video of the area, looking to strike what intelligence had indicated was an up-armored vehicle carrying a car bomb. An official mistakenly identified the brothers’ cars as those carrying car bombs, and the strike was authorized. “I remember there was a big explosion, and I fainted,” said Abdul Hakeem Abdullah Hamash al-Aqeedi, pictured above. The cars were passing his house when the weapon hit. He lost an eye and had a plate put into his left leg. His son, Mustafa Hakeem Abdullah, had his left leg amputated from the thigh down. His nephew, who had been a nursing-school student, lost four toes on his left foot and one on his right foot and still has shrapnel in his leg. The brothers and their family members in the cars were all killed.”

The coordinates provided to Airwars – 36.324100, 43.127258 placed this event at Wadi Hajar neighbourhood in Mosul. There were two additional claimed events in Mosul that day – including an event at nearby Rifai which killed five civilians – although based on this location being 4.6 km distant, this does appear to be a separate incident.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (2)

Majid Mahmoud Ahmed
male killed
Firas Mahmoud Ahmed
male killed

Family members (3)

Abdul Hakeem Abdullah Hamash al-Aqeedi
Adult male injured
Mustafa Hakeem Abdullah
male injured
Nephew of Abdul
male injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • (2 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Confirmed
    A specific belligerent has accepted responsibility for civilian harm.
  • Known attacker
    US-led Coalition
  • Known target
    ISIS

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Abdul Hakeem Abdullah Hamash al-Aqeedi, who lost an eye and had a plate put into his left leg after strikes on Mosul on February 25, 2017. (Image by the New York Times)

US-led Coalition Assessment:

  • Known belligerent
    US-led Coalition
  • US-led Coalition position on incident
    Credible / Substantiated
    The investigation assessed that although all feasible precautions were taken and the decision to strike complied with the law of armed conflict, unintended civilian casualties regrettably occurred.
  • Given reason for civilian harm
    No reason given
    Airwars’ assessment of belligerent’s civilian casualty statement
  • Initial Airwars grading
    Confirmed
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    5
  • Stated location
    near Mosul, Iraq
    Nearest population center
  • Location accuracy
    1 m
  • MGRS coordinate
    38SLF3189821524
    Military Grid Reference System

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Jun 2, 2017
  • Feb. 25, 2017, near Mosul, Iraq, via self-report: During a strike on an ISIS VBIED, it was assessed that five civilians were unintentionally killed.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

For February 24th-25th the Coalition publicly reported: “Near Mosul, five strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units and an ISIS sniper unit; destroyed nine fighting positions, eight mortar systems, five ISIS-held buildings, four command and control nodes, three VBIED facilities, three tactical vehicles, two vehicles, two artillery systems, two anti-air artillery systems, a rocket-propelled grenade system, a UAV storage facility, a front-end loader, a VBIED staging area and a supply cache; damaged 12 supply routes and four ISIS-held buildings; and suppressed 22 mortars and an artillery system.”

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • (2 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Confirmed
    A specific belligerent has accepted responsibility for civilian harm.
  • Known attacker
    US-led Coalition
  • Known target
    ISIS

Sources (1) [ collapse]