Geolocation
Airwars assessment
A civilian family were casualties of alleged Coalition air or artillery strikes on the Al Tayyar area of Raqqa, local sources reported.
The head of the family was identified by a number of sources, who reported that he and his entire family were killed but did not identify an exact number. Smart News Agency was the only source from the seven which reported the incident to report that four people had died in the alleged strikes.
Amnesty International later interviewed an eyewitness, sharing its field notes with Airwars: “Hussein left Tayar 10 days ago [17 July]. He is a labourer. His mother and his brother are still in the hospital after a strike on his uncle’s family’s house on 10 July. The house contained 20 or 21 people at the time. A nine year old boy was killed, along with his mother.
The house was in Tayar, near the Al Rahman Mosque. It was on the Sharia 3m (General Street), one house up from the water well. The nearest perpendicular road was “Nazlet al Forat” [unlikely to be an official name]. The IS HQ was 50 metres away in a one storey house with two IS snipers on the roof. The IS house was not damaged and the IS members escaped.
“They [the SDF] liberated us one week later. We were treated by neighbours in the meantime. The injured then went to the General Hospital. It was under IS control but IS didn’t prevent from people receiving treatment, as long as they could pay.
It was an artillery strike. I heard the sound. There were nine or ten artillery strikes in the neighbourhood that day from 6.30-7am. We heard on the road [while leaving] that six children had died [as a result].”
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Summary
Sources (10) [ collapse]
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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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 July 10th-11th: “Near Raqqah, 12 strikes engaged 11 ISIS tactical units and destroyed eight fighting positions, two mortar systems, an IED, and an ISIS communications tower.” It additionally reported that “On July 10, near Raqqah, Syria, 15 strikes engaged 12 ISIS tactical units; destroyed nine ISIS-held buildings, six fighting positions, two IEDs, a command and control node, a tunnel entrance, and an ISIS communication tower; and damaged a command and control node.”
In the past week, France reports 21 sorties and 4 strikes, 2 in Raqqa and 2 in Iraq. Task Force Wagram conducted 15 artillery strikes in Mosul. Since September 19th 2014, it reports 1311 strikes, 2076 targets destroyed and 6775 sorties.
‘Point de situation des opérations Armée française – Opérations militaires·Thursday, 13 July 2017 CHAMMAL SITUATION En Syrie, A Raqqah, la manœuvre d’encerclement menée au Sud de la ville pour couper les combattants de Daech de leurs soutiens est terminée. Dans la ville, la progression des Forces Démocratiques Syriennes se poursuit maison par maison, face à une défense de Daech faite d’actions permanentes de harcèlement, d’infiltrations et d’attaques suicides menées avec l’aide de boucliers humains. Les Forces armées syriennes se heurtent aux défense de Daech plus à l’Est et les positions se stabilisent. En Irak, Dimanche 9 juillet, le Premier ministre irakien a annoncé la libération de Mossoul. Cette victoire sur l’organisation terroriste marque le succès de forces irakiennes appuyées par les forces aériennes de la Coalition et un soutien artillerie, au cœur d’une stratégie qui aura permis d’affaiblir Daech avant de contre-attaquer en remontant le Tigre et de progresser ensemble jusqu’au cœur de la ville après l’avoir encerclée. Désormais, les forces de sécurité débutent une longue phase de sécurisation de Mossoul. La nécessité de nettoyer la ville des très nombreux pièges posés par Daech, la présence de combattants-suicides disséminés au sein de la population, la probable présence de cellules terroristes dormantes, va imposer aux Forces de Sécurité Irakiennes de poursuivre leurs efforts pendant de longues semaines. Les combats se concentrent désormais dans le secteur de Tall Afar où bon nombre de combattants terroristes ont trouvé refuge après avoir fui la zone de Mossoul. Daech poursuit de son côté ses actions terroristes dans les régions de l’Anbar et d’Hawijah où l’organisation dispose encore de forces importantes. ACTIVITÉS DE LA FORCE Cette semaine, les aéronefs ont réalisé 21 sorties aériennes dont 19 de reconnaissance armée et d’appui au sol (CAS), ainsi que 2 missions de recueil de renseignement. 04 frappes ont été réalisées dont 02 dans le cadre de la bataille de Raqqah. La Task Force (TF) Wagram a mené de son côté 15 missions de tir dont 14 de harcèlement et 01 d’éclairement. Le bilan global depuis le 19 septembre 2014 s’élève 1311 frappes, 2076 objectifs et 6775 sorties. ‘