Geolocation
Airwars assessment
A shepherd was reported by the Syrian Network as having been killed in a Coalition airstrike near Mitras. Five other people were injured by shrapnel.
The victim’s son later described retrieving his father’s body: “The rocket caused a great hole in the ground, almost two metres deep. I buried my father’s body in the town.“
However in July 2017 the Coalition classed the event as Non Credible on grounds of insufficient evidence of civilian harm: “April 26, 2015, near Mitras, Syria, via Airwars report: After a review of available information and strike video it was assessed that there is insufficient evidence to find that civilians were harmed in this strike.”
Airwars has requested additional information from the Coalition – and continues to class this event as likely.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention the village of Mitras (متراس), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.62906, 38.29076. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.
Summary
Sources (6) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (4) [ collapse]
-
Smoke rising following the shelling on Mitras town. Photo in SN4HR report detailing the incident and published on August 11th, 2015.
-
Photo of the victim Dimmo al Hassan Dimmo, published in SN4HR report -published on August 11th, 2015- in which the incident was detailed including an interview with his son.
-
Published in SN4HR report in which the incident was detailed. Report published August 11th 2015
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.
US-led Coalition Assessment:
Civilian casualty statements
-
After a review of available information and strike video it was assessed that there is insufficient evidence to find that civilians were harmed in this strike.
Original strike reports
Confirmed strike at location for April 19th-20th, including video released of an attack on a ‘Daesh mortar position’ which SN4HR reports is at Mitras: “Near Kobani, seven airstrikes struck seven ISIL tactical units, destroying two ISIL vehicles, an ISIL fighting position, an ISIL mortar tube and an ISIL anti-aircraft artillery weapon.”