Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CI522

Incident date

March 9, 2017

Location

حي المعلمين, Mosul, al Mua'lmen/ Teachers, Nineveh, Iraq

Geolocation

36.318752, 43.095438 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Local residents and press sources said that more than 200 bodies were still under the rubble and on the streets after Coalition airstrikes and shelling by Iraqi forces targeted the area close to “Syed Jamal” mosque in the Teachers district and other neighbourhoods in the West of Mosul.

@Sonawa1 reported on Twitter: “A huge explosion caused by an air strike this morning near the mosque in Teachers district at the right side caused human damage and destruction of civilian homes # Mosul”. Most sources spoke of dozens of dead and wounded.

Iraqi Spring said 200 civilians were killed. In a tweet, @ahmed_saeed2018 spoke of “around 201 dead and wounded”.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    50 – 200
  • Civilians reported injured
    50–200
  • 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
    No Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • Stated location
    near Mosul, Iraq
    Nearest population center

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Nov 30, 2017
  • After a review of available information it was assessed that no Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area that correspond to the report of civilian casualties.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

For March 8th-9th the Coalition noted: “Mosul, fives strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units; destroyed six vehicles, five tanker trucks, four mortar systems, 4 VBIEDs, two supply caches, a fighting position, an artillery system, an ISIS-held building, a tactical vehicle, an ISIS headquarters, and a weapons storage facility; damaged 32 supply routes; and suppressed nine mortar teams, a sniper team, a medium machine gun team, 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
    50 – 200
  • Civilians reported injured
    50–200
  • 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]