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
- Hawa Mahmoud Al-Hussein Adult female nicknamed “Umm Arif killed
- Inas Ahmed Saleh Al-Allawi 5 years old female
Summary
Sources (17) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]
Attached to this civilian harm incident is the Pentagon's declassified assessment of this civilian harm allegation, obtained by Azmat Khan and the New York Times through Freedom of Information requests and lawsuits filed since March 2017, 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 it was assessed that no Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area that correspond to the report of civilian casualties.
Original strike reports
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.“