Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CI529

Incident date

March 10, 2017

Location

اليرموك, Mosul, Yarmouk, Nineveh, Iraq

Geolocation

36.336804, 43.083396 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Local press and residents, as well as al-Amaq (ISIL) press sources, said that Coalition shelling had targeted several neighborhoods at the right side of Mosul, especially near apartments in Al-Yarmouk neighbourhood, with munitions equipped with controversial White Phosphorus. No civilian casualties were reported.

Iraqi Spring posted a video on Facebook of al-Amaq agency [ISIL], showing “the effects of the US phosphorus bombing, which targeted residential neighborhoods near the Yarmouk Apartments in the right side of # Mosul city.”

Urgent Mosul News also reported heavy shelling by warplanes in the neighbourhood, but unlike all other sources, did not identify them as being Coalition aircraft.

A Bellingcat investigation later concluded: “The international US-led Coalition appears to have used white phosphorous (WP) munitions in their battle against the so-called Islamic State (IS) in Mosul, Iraq, based on a video posted online by an IS-linked propaganda outlet. It is known that the US has used WP in Iraq, and while aware of the video, the Coalition neither confirmed or denied the specific use of WP in Mosul. It has not been possible to establish whether civilians were present at the targeted site, but when WP is used in residential neighbourhood the tactical military advantage may well be outweighed the stigma of using WP in civilian areas, as a Human Rights Watch employee stated earlier. While the statement was made in the context of attacks, it also holds for other usages of WP. No multimedia or textual information could be found hinting towards civilian injuries or casualties due to the alleged use of WP.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition

Sources (8) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • Bellingcat geolocated the March 10th 2017 use of white phosphorous against ISIL in urban Mosul
  • Video reposted by Airwars researcher Christiaan Triebert to Twitter
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 March 9th-10th the Coalition publicly reported: “Near Mosul, six strikes engaged five ISIS tactical units and an ISIS staging area; destroyed 11 vehicles, nine mortar systems, eight fighting positions, five VBIEDs, two medium machine guns, two roadblocks, two watercraft, an anti-air artillery system, a supply cache, an ammunition cache, and a recoilless rifle; damaged 15 supply routes; and suppressed 10 mortar teams.”

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition

Sources (8) [ collapse]