Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CS1082

Incident date

June 25, 2017

Location

موحسن, Muhassan, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Geolocation

35.2257487, 40.3109038 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Two women and four children, including a newborn baby, were reportedly killed and dozens of others injured in airstrikes in Muhassan, in the east of Deir Ezzor, but it was not immediately clear who was responsible.

Euphrates Post and Sharqiya Voice reported that warplanes committed the “massacre” but did not say who they believed was responsible.

Smart News Agency also reported the incident, but said that the warplanes “likely belonging to the Syrian regime”. Syrianpc and the Syrian Network for Human Rights also blamed the regime. However, Qasioun was alone in alleging that Russia was responsible.

Euphrates Post also named a five-year-old girl as a victim. According to Free Deir Ezzor, she was killed by “warplanes targeting al Nahiya centre in Muhassen town with cluster bombs”.

The Coalition reported that it had conducted strikes on the day “near Dayr ez-Zour.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (4)

Maya Aref Ahmad Al-Alawi Al-Jassim
Age unknown female killed
Ahmed Aref Ahmed Al-Ali Al-Jassim
Child male killed
Uday Arif Ahmad Al-Alawi Al-Jassim
Child male killed
Khaled Aref Ahmad Al-Alawi Al-Jassim
10 days years old male killed

The victims were named as:

Hawa Mahmoud Al-Hussein
Adult female nicknamed “Umm Arif killed
Inas Ahmed Saleh Al-Allawi
5 years old female

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6
  • (4 children1 woman)
  • 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, Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (17) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Inas Ahmed Saleh Al-Alawi Sulaiman, killed in an airstrike on June 25th (via SN4HR)
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
  • Stated location
    near Muhassen, Syria
    Nearest population center

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Mar 28, 2018
  • After a review of available information it was assessed that no Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area that correspond to the report of civilian casualties.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

For June 24th-25th, the Coalition reported: “Near Dayr Az Zawr, six strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units and destroyed three ISIS-held buildings, two command and control nodes, an ISIS staging area, a mortar system, a tactical vehicle, and an ISIS oil refinery.“

For June 25th-26th, “Near Dayr Az Zawr, three strikes destroyed six ISIS oil storage tanks, four ISIS pump jacks and two ISIS facilities.” It additionally reported that “On June 25, near Dayr az Zawr, one strike destroyed an ISIS-held building.“

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Syrian Regime Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Syrian Regime
  • Syrian Regime position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6
  • (4 children1 woman)
  • 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, Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (17) [ collapse]