Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CI802

Incident date

July 7, 2017

Location

المدينة القديمة, Mosul, Old City, Nineveh, Iraq

Geolocation

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

Airwars assessment

A number of local sources claimed that more than 1,000 civilians had been killed or wounded over a week-long period as a result of alleged Coalition and Iraqi government bombardment of Old Mosul over recent days. However further details were sparse.

Iraq News Center reported that the number of civilian casualties buried under the rubble was so high that civilian defense teams had been unable to keep up in their attempts to recover them, and many remain buried there.

Activist Ali al Hamdani told Alaraby that “intensive bombing” by Iraqi forces was putting many thousands of civilians at risk because they aim to “resolve the battle quickly, without thinking about the fate of the trapped population”.

He added: “Death threatens thousands of civilians, while the bodies of others are still lying in the streets of the liberated areas, some of which are buried in public squares and gardens.”

Three of the five sources claimed that the Iraqi government was responsible. Meanwhile one alleged that both the Iraqi government and the Coalition was responsible.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention the Old City of Mosul (موصل القديمة), for which the coordinates are: 36.34075, 43.126911.

  • Old City of Mosul (موصل القديمة)

    Imagery:
    © 2019 Google

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    300
  • Civilians reported injured
    700
  • 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 (5) [ 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 Mosul, Iraq
    Nearest population center

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Mar 28, 2018
  • The report contains insufficient information of the time, location and details to assess its credibility.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

For July 6th-7th, the Coalition reported: “Near Mosul, three strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units, destroyed one fighting position, damaged one fighting position, and suppressed a mortar system.”

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
    300
  • Civilians reported injured
    700
  • 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 (5) [ collapse]