Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CI612

Incident date

April 5, 2017

Location

معيوف, Mayouf, Nineveh, Iraq

Geolocation

36.43268, 42.861649 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Local sources reported that more than forty people were killed in unspecified airstrikes on the village of Mayouf, north west of Mosul.

According to a report published by Al Arabi, “A local source said that an aerial bombardment targeted last night and blew up a number of houses in the village of Mayouf in the town of Badush west of Mosul, stressing to the New Arab that the bombing caused the deaths of more than 40 civilians who were gathered in those houses in order to escape from the area that was controlled by Daesh.”

Iraqi aircraft were reportedly active west of Mosul on the same day, with an assault reported on nearby Badush.

A UN report on the protection of civilians in context of Nineveh operations and the retaking of Mosul stated: “In the morning of 4 April, ISIL forcibly gathered 34 civilian men in a house in the ISIL-controlled Ma’youf al-Jubouri neighbourhood of Badoush subdistrict, Mosul district. Later that day, an airstrike hit the house, reportedly killing all 34 civilians inside and an unknown number of ISIL fighters. Sources reported no military activity from the house before the incident. UNAMI/OHCHR could not confirm this specific information.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Mayouf (معيوف), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.43268, 42.861649. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    34 – 40
  • 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, Unknown

Sources (7) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ 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
  • Location accuracy
    1 m
  • MGRS coordinate
    38SLF1741933119
    Military Grid Reference System

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Aug 4, 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 April 4th-5th the Coalition publicly reported: “Near Al Qaim, one strike destroyed an ISIS media facility.”

Unknown Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Unknown
  • Unknown position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    34 – 40
  • 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, Unknown

Sources (7) [ collapse]