Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CI494

Incident date

February 28, 2017

Location

المأمون, Mosul, Mamoon, Nineveh, Iraq

Geolocation

36.34585235, 43.09857692 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Local sources said that 15 people were killed and 38 wounded, including children and women, due to artillery shelling targeting Tayaran, Dawasa, Rajim Hadid, Ma’moun and Ma’ash Sooq neighborhoods in western Mosul.

While most sources did not say who was responsible for the artillery shelling, Yaqein and Niniva media center blamed the Iraqi government forces.

Niniva media center reported on Facebook that: “The population of the Ma’amon neihborhood, on the right side of the city of Mosul (south axis), [expresses] urgent cries of distress to rescue stranded civilians under the rubble of demolished houses as a result of military operations in the region against the terrorist organization Daesh.”

Different media and residents had told the center that: “There are a lot of civilians [who] have not been able to get out of their homes in Ma’amon neighborhood because of the intensification of armed confrontations between the Iraqi forces and the terrorist organization, pointing out that there are houses [which] have completely collapsed on their residents, and some of them are still alive under the rubble and could not parents and pulled them out.

And they followed [saying] that the local and central governments and international organizations should urgently intervene to save civilians from the rubble and evacuate the bodies of the martyrs.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Geolocation notes (2) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention the city of Mosul, Mamoon (المأمون), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.34585235, 43.09857692. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

  • Al Maash Market

    Imagery:
    © 2018 Google

  • Named locations: Mamoon (المأمون), Dawassa (الدواسة / الدواعش), Rajim Hadid (رجم الحديد) and Tayran (الطيران). The Mamoon (المأمون), Dawassa or Pedal area (الدواسة / الدواعش) and Tayran (الطيران) areas

    Imagery:
    © 2018 Google

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    15
  • Civilians reported injured
    38
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected belligerents
    US-led Coalition, Iraq Government Forces

Sources (9) [ collapse]

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
  • Oct 27, 2017
  • The report contains insufficient information of the time, location and details to assess its credibility.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

For February 27th-28th the Coalition publicly reported: “Near Mosul, five strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units and an ISIS staging area; destroyed seven mortar systems, four vehicles, four fighting positions, three ISIS-held buildings, two anti-air systems, two rocket-propelled grenade systems, two VBIEDs, a supply cache, a VBIED facility and a UAV control station; damaged six tunnels and six supply routes; and suppressed 21 mortar teams and an ISIS tactical unit.”

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
    15
  • Civilians reported injured
    38
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected belligerents
    US-led Coalition, Iraq Government Forces

Sources (9) [ collapse]