Geolocation
Airwars assessment
A civilian male was killed following airstrikes into Raqqa, local sources reported, however it was not clear who was responsible.
He was reportedly from the Al Mashlab neighbourhood of the city.
All five sources who reported the incident did not make any claims as to who was responsible for the airstrikes. However, only the Coalition was known to be targeting the city by air at this time.
In February 2019, the Coalition assessed this event to be non-credible. Their report noted: “After review of all available strike records it was determined that more likely than not civilian casualties did not occur as a result of a Coalition strike.”
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Summary
Sources (5) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]
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Abdul Manaf Shibli, killed in an alleged Coalition airstrike on Raqqa, July 1st 2017. (via AbdoulSalam Shbli)
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Abdul Manaf Shibli, killed in an alleged Coalition airstrike on Raqqa, July 1st 2017. (via Moaed shbli)
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Abdul Manaf Shibli, killed in an alleged Coalition airstrike on Raqqa, July 1st 2017. (via AbdoulSalam Shbli)
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
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July 1, 2017, near al-Mashlab neighborhood, Raqqah, Syria via Airwars report. After review of all available strike records it was determined that more likely than not civilian casualties did not occur as a result of a Coalition strike.
Original strike reports
For July 1st-July 2nd: “Near Raqqah, nine strikes engaged eight ISIS tactical units and destroyed seven fighting positions, a tactical vehicle, a front-end loader, a mortar system and a heavy machine gun.”
It additionally reported that “On July 1, near Raqqah, Syria, five strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units, destroyed a fighting position and a heavy machine gun, and suppressed 27 fighting positions.”
‘Saturday 1 July – A Reaper eliminated a mortar team and Typhoons dealt with a heavy machine-gun, both in Raqqa. Tornados hit three Daesh positions in Mosul…A Reaper remotely piloted aircraft patrolled over Raqqa on Saturday 1 July. A mortar was reported firing on the SDF, and the Reaper’s crew spotted its muzzle flashes from a position concealed beneath a tree. A Hellfire missile destroyed the target. Typhoons were also active over the city, where they used a Paveway IV to silence a heavy machine-gun which was holding up an SDF advance.'