Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CI654

Incident date

April 19, 2017

Location

الثورة, Mosul: Thawra neighbourhood, Nineveh, Iraq

Geolocation

36.34325, 43.09785 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Within 100m (via Coalition) level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Multiple sources reported that more than 90 civilians died in a major incident in Al Thawra (Revolution) neighbourhood in Old Mosul. As Reuters noted, “Dozens of civilians were killed on Saturday by air strikes targeting homes in the Thawra district on the western side of Mosul, a neighborhood declared by Iraqi forces restored overnight by the Islamic state, local residents said.”

In June 2019 the Coalition accepted responsibility for this allegation of civilian harm – though conceded just one death. Its monthly civilian casualty report noted: “Coalition aircraft conducted an airstrike against a Daesh fighting position. Regrettably, one civilian was unintentionally killed due to their proximity to the strike.” This was later declared by the Pentagon to have been a US action.

Local Facebook group Sawlf Ateka reported that fatalities had resulted from actions by several belligerents: “The bodies of civilians fill the streets of Al-Thawra district, on the right side of Mosul.” They allegedly died after sniper attacks, “terrorist attacks, or because of the indiscriminate bombardment of mortars, artillery and aerial bombardment by the security forces.”

Sources reported to Al Jazeera that “there are dozens of civilians under the rubble, [and] no one knows whether they were alive or dead because Iraqi forces prevented anyone from reaching these areas.”

Iraq Newspaper cited a senior official of the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior’s Rapid Response Force, who spoke of a “total destruction of more than 30 houses in the Thawra neighbourhood, including houses belonging to the region’s dignitaries.”

Abdel Wahab Talal Hadidi and his father died after an airstrike was carried out in front of their house

It was also reported that Dr. Mohamed Mahmoud El Sheikh Issa, a neurologist in the Al-Thawra neighborhood, also died together with his father and son.

Mosul News Now (local Facebook group) named Ahmed Shiite Aida Abu Doaa as one of the victims. He reportedly was Director of Accreditation Company Asia Cell and Sales Manager of North Sale Company. Local comparisons were made to of the “massacre” to the major incident in New Mosul neighbourhood, on March 17th-18th.

The Coalition provided Airwars with the location of this incident, accurate to within a 100 metre box.

In May 2020 in its annual civilian harm report to Congress, the Pentagon said this had been a US action.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (2)

Abdel Wahab Talal Hadidi
Adult male killed
Father of Abdel Wahab Talal Hadidi
Adult male killed

Family members (3)

Dr. Mohamed Mahmoud El Sheikh Issa
Adult male killed
Father of Dr. Mohamed Mahmoud El Sheikh Issa
Adult male killed
Son of Dr. Mohamed Mahmoud El Sheikh Issa
Child male killed

The victims were named as:

Ahmed Shiite Aida Abu Doaa
Adult male Director of Accreditation Company Asia Cell and Sales Manager of North Sale Company killed

Geolocation notes

Prior the Coalition releasing the MGRS for this incident, Airwas had geolocated it to the nearest neighbourhood/area at 36.34389,43.103399. In June 2019 the Coalition released the MGRS as 38SLF293237.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    90
  • (1 child3 men)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Confirmed
    A specific belligerent has accepted responsibility for civilian harm.
  • Known belligerent
    US-led Coalition
  • Suspected belligerent
    Iraq Government Forces
  • Known target
    ISIS

Sources (21) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (6) [ collapse]

  • Abdel Wahab Talal Hadidi and his father allegedly died after an airstrike hit their neighbourhood in Old Mosul, on April 19th (via Sawl Ateka Facebook)
  • Dr. Mohammed al-Sheikh Issa, who used to be a neurologist, allegedly died in airstrikes on Old Mosul, together with his father and son (via Sawlf Ateka)
  • Ahmed Shit Aida Abu Doaa, reportedly died after airstrikes and shelling hit Revolution neighbourhood (via Mosul News Now)
  • Video showing the aftermath of the strikes
  • A second video showing the aftermath
  • Table from May 2020 Pentagon report to Congress, conceding additional US civilian harm events in Iraq and Syria during 2017.
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:

  • Known belligerent
    US-led Coalition
  • US-led Coalition position on incident
    Credible / Substantiated
    The investigation assessed that although all feasible precautions were taken and the decision to strike complied with the law of armed conflict, unintended civilian casualties regrettably occurred.
  • Given reason for civilian harm
    Killed by strike blast
    Airwars’ assessment of belligerent’s civilian casualty statement
  • Initial Airwars grading
    Confirmed
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    1
  • Stated location
    near Al Thawra, Iraq
    Nearest population center
  • Location accuracy
    100 m
  • MGRS coordinate
    38SLF293237
    Military Grid Reference System

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Jun 29, 2019
  • Jul 7, 2017
  • April 19, 2017, near Mosul, Iraq, via social media report: After a review of available information it was assessed that no Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographic area that correspond to the report of civilian casualties.

  • Apr. 19, 2017, near Al Thawra, Iraq, via Airwars report. Coalition aircraft conducted an airstrike against a Daesh fighting position. Regrettably, one civilian was unintentionally killed due to their proximity to the strike.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

For April 18th-19th the Coalition publicly stated: “Near Mosul, eight strikes engaged six ISIS tactical units, destroyed 11 fighting positions, six rocket-propelled grenade systems, five anti-air artillery systems, four medium machine guns, four VBIEDs, a weapons cache, a front-end loader, an ISIS vehicle, a command and control node; and suppressed four fighting positions, four ISIS supply routes and four ISIS tactical units.”

Iraq Government Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Iraq Government Forces
  • Iraq Government Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    90
  • (1 child3 men)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Confirmed
    A specific belligerent has accepted responsibility for civilian harm.
  • Known belligerent
    US-led Coalition
  • Suspected belligerent
    Iraq Government Forces
  • Known target
    ISIS

Sources (21) [ collapse]