Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CI758

Incident date

June 11, 2017

Location

المدينة القديمة, Mosul, Old City neighbourhoods, Nineveh, Iraq

Geolocation

36.34075, 43.126911 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Multiple local sources, as well as sources in the Iraqi army, reported that dozens of civilians were killed or injured in the fighting for the liberation of Shifa, Zanjili and Health neighbourhoods in Old Mosul.

Alaraby news said that Iraqi forces allegedly used heavy shelling and air strikes on the area in an attempt to defeat ISIL.

Iraqi Spring Media Center also reported that “more than 80 civilians, mostly women and children, were killed by heavy shelling targeting the old areas of Mosul.” The Center did not say who was responsible for the raids.

Al Arabi al Jadeed cited an officer in the Nineveh Command centre as saying that “the difficult reality on the ground means Iraqi forces are having to resort to continuous shelling against the attacks and defenses of ISIL, which has caused dozens of civilian casualties, and the destruction of dozens of homes.”

A UN report on the protection of civilians in context of Nineveh operations and the retaking of Mosul stated: “Early morning 11 June, in al-Borsa area next to al-Markaziya high school, in ISIL-controlled al-Shifaa neighbourhood in west Mosul, an airstrike hit a house, killing 19 civilians from two families.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    19 – 80
  • Civilians reported injured
    12–24
  • 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 (3) [ 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 information on the time and location
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • Stated location
    near Zanjili, Iraq
    Nearest population center

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Jan 25, 2018
  • The report contains insufficient information of the time, location and details to assess its credibility.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

For June 10th-11th: “Near Mosul, three strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units; destroyed five fighting positions, two mortar systems, two VBIEDs, a supply cache, and an explosives cache; and suppressed a mortar team.”

Unknown Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    19 – 80
  • Civilians reported injured
    12–24
  • 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 (3) [ collapse]