Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CS1044a

Incident date

June 20, 2017

Location

المصرف التجاري, Commercial Bank, Al Mayadeen, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Geolocation

35.016667, 40.444167 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

After midnight, alleged Coalition airplanes carried out a number of strikes on areas in Al-Mayadeen city which was under ISIS control at the time of the attack.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the airstrikes targeted the area where the Commercial Bank is located and struck a house in which an Iraqi family was living, killing one woman and two children while others were wounded. Two other houses near the Abduljabbar School were also reportedly struck in the same raid.

Revolutionary Forces of Syria Media Office also reported raids, but didn’t identify the culprit, reporting that “the air force renewed raids after midnight targeting the Commercial Bank and a pool of residential buildings in the vicinity of the school of Abdul Jabbar in the city of Mayadeen. This led to the martyrdom of an Iraqi family of one woman and two children and the injury of several others”.

In their June 2020 civilian casualty report, the US-led Coalition assessed reports that they were responsible for civilian harm in this strike as “non-credible”, stating that no Coalition actions were conducted in the geographical area at that time.

The incident occured after midnight.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (2 children1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • 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
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
    No Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • MGRS coordinate
    37SFU317758
    Military Grid Reference System

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Jun 24, 2020
  • June 20, 2017, in Mayadin, Syria, via Airwars report. After a review of all available records it was assessed that no Coalition actions were conducted in the geographical area that corresponds to the report of civilian casualties. 3113/CS1044a 37SFU317758

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

No Coalition strikes were reported in this area on this date.

Unknown Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (2 children1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • 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