Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CI559

Incident date

March 19, 2017

Location

الموصل الجديدة/الآبار, New Mosul/Abar, Mosul, Nineveh, Iraq

Geolocation

36.3323266, 43.1050515 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Locals reported the deaths of 46 civilians including 28 children and 18 men and women with 80 others injured – mostly children and women – by different kind of shelling in many neighborhoods of Old Mosul. At least 26 bodies reportedly reached the local forensic medicine hospital.

Iraq News Center spoke of two dozen civilians killed and said that “press sources confirmed that the intelligence forces and defense ministry banned foreign journalists from entering to take pictures of dozens of bodies lying on the sidewalks and in the streets of civilian neighborhoods, who were killed in battles and clashes”.

Iraqi Spring and Correspondences team blamed the Coaition for the raids. They respectively put the death toll at 46 and 47 and reported 80 injured.

In its June 2017 report the Coalition denied responsibility: “16. March 19, 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 during the night.

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

One source, Iraq News Center, named two neighbourhoods: New Mosul (الموصل الجدید) coordinates: 36.3323266, 43.1050515, and Al Abar (الآبار) coordinates: 36.339167, 43.096667. The areas are adjacent to each other. The report also described the incident as occurring “overnight”.

  • New Mosul (الموصل الجدید) and Al Abar (الآبار) neighbourhoods in West Mosul

    Imagery:
    © 2018 Google

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    46 – 47
  • (28 children)
  • Civilians reported injured
    80
  • 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 (6) [ 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 evidence of civilian harm
  • 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 and strike video it was assessed that there is insufficient evidence to find that civilians were harmed in this strike.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

For March 18th-19th the Coalition noted: ” Near Mosul, five strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units; destroyed 14 fighting positions, four vehicles, two rocket-propelled grenade systems, a medium machine gun, and an artillery system; damaged 14 supply routes; and suppressed five mortar teams and three ISIS tactical units.”

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
    46 – 47
  • (28 children)
  • Civilians reported injured
    80
  • 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 (6) [ collapse]