(Previous Incident Code: I544)

Multiple local sources, including a friend of one of the victims, said that the entire family of Al-Haj Alaa Al-Safi (consisting of eight people) died after a Coalition airstrike hit their home in Najjar neighborhood, in West Mosul. Sources reported that most of the victims were women.

The Coalition later reported that it had unintentionally killed three civilians in a strike at al Najjar that day. Either France or Belgium appear to have been responsible – though neither country will say.

Bashar Haseeb said on Facebook at the time that Al-Haj Alaa al-Safi was a study friend of his. In a comment he added: “He was a student with me at the Technical Institute and today he, his wife, his mother, his sons, his brother and his brother’s wife died in an airstrike.”

Mosul Facebook page also reported the death of al-Safi. It said that his wife, mother, his daughters, his sister, and the daughters of his sister were also among the victims.

In its July 2017 monthly casualty report, the Coalition appeared to take responsibility for the incident: “May 15, 2017, near Mosul, via self-report: During a strike on an ISIS fighting position, it was assessed that three civilians in a building adjacent to the target building were unintentionally killed.”

Coalition officials later confirmed to Airwars that their report was referring to this incident. The Coalition provided Airwars with a location, accurate to within a one metre box. The location given placed the event near the al Shuhada Mosque in al Najjar.

In March 2020, Airwars, Liberation and De Morgen published a joint investigation revealing that Belgium and France were refusing to accept responsibility for civilian harm in this and other events – despite all other allies ruling themselves out.

Asked to say whether its aircraft were responsible for officially declared civilian harm in up to nine incidents, the Belgian Ministry of Defence told Airwars by email: “For the year 2017, BAF [Belgian Armed Forces] was certainly not involved in all events. With regard to the other data given, BAF was no longer present in theatre. BAF completed its role at the end of 2017. Our conclusion is that all ROEs [rules of engagement] were respected as confirmed by our federal court.”

After confirming receipt from Airwars in June 2019 of details of possible French civilian casualty events, the defence ministry then ceased communication – refusing to answer all subsequent emails.