Airwars assessment
According to local residents and the recently formed Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights, up to 80 civilians died when heavy airstrikes and shelling destroyed multiple houses in Meydan neighbourhood in Old Mosul.
According to Iraqi Spring Media Centre, 20 houses were destroyed. It spoke of “dozens of bodies” under the rubble. Activists and aid workers in Mosul had told the Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights that “more than 40 civilians were killed during Friday and Saturday when used by Daesh as human shields and American planes bombed them.”
Iraq News said on Saturday that during the past 24 hours as many as 80 civilians died in West Mosul.
In its June 2017 Civilian Casualty Report, the US-led Coalition noted: “March 17, 2017, near Mosul, Iraq, via social media report: The report contained insufficient information on the time, location and details to assess its credibility.”
The incident occured around dusk.
Summary
Sources (10) [ collapse]
Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]
Reports of the incident mention Meydan neighbourhood (حي الميدان) in Old Mosul. Open sources maps indicate Meydan neighbourhood (حي الميدان) is a small area in the North of the Old Mosul, at approximately: 36.336461, 43.124456
Attached to this civilian harm incident is the Pentagon's declassified assessment of this civilian harm allegation, obtained by Azmat Khan and the New York Times through Freedom of Information requests and lawsuits filed since March 2017, 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.
US-led Coalition Assessment:
Civilian casualty statements
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After a review of available information and strike video it was assessed that there is insufficient evidence to find that civilians were harmed in this strike.
Original strike reports
For March 16th-17th the Coalition reported: “Near Mosul, four strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units; destroyed 11 fighting positions, seven vehicles, a recoilless rifle, a heavy machine gun, a rocket-propelled grenade system, an explosives factory, a supply cache, and an ISIS-held building; damaged 14 supply routes and a fighting position; and suppressed 13 ISIS mortar teams.”