Conflict

U.S.-led Coalition in Iraq & Syria

Incident Code

CS121

Location

تل براك, Tall Birak, or villages to the south, Al Hassakah, Syria

Geolocation

36.683359, 41.053686
Accuracy: Village

Airwars Assessment

Last Updated: December 15, 2024

(Previous Incident Code: S121)

Reports emerged on the evening of September 5th that a 13-year old boy named as Abboud Al Kharnoub may have died in a Coalition strike in the vicinity of Tal Brak near al Hassakah.

Baladi News also reported that a number of women were injured, without giving further details. It also said that the casualties occurred “in villages south of Tal Brak.”

The town itself was the scene of clashes at the time between Daesh and Kurdish YPG forces which led to Coalition strikes, according to Ara News.

In its monthly civilian casualty report for October 2019 – published on December 5th of the same year – the US-led Coalition assessed this event as ‘non credible’, noting: “September 5, 2015, in Tall Birak, 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. 2826/CS121 37SFA835617”.

The Coalition published a location for the assessment identifying to within 100 metres the area where it had focused its review.

Victims

Individuals

13 years old male killed

Key Information

Country
Military Actor
Strike Type
Airstrike
Strike Status
Contested strike
Civilian Harm Reported
Yes
Civilian Harm Status
Contested
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Civilians reported killed
1
1 Child
Civilians reported injured
2
2 Women

Geolocation Notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Tall Birak, or villages to the south (تل براك), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.683359, 41.053686. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Military Statements

U.S.-led Coalition Assessment
Suspected belligerent
U.S.-led Coalition
U.S.-led Coalition position on incident
Non credible / Unsubstantiated
Reason for non-credible assessment
No Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area
Civilian deaths conceded
None
Civilian injuries conceded
None
Stated location
in Tall Birak, Syria
Location accuracy
100 m
MGRS coordinate
37SFA835617
U.S.-led Coalition Strike Report
No Coalition strikes were publicly reported in al Hassakah governorate between September 4th-6th 2015.
U.S.-led Coalition Civilian Casualty Statement
2019-12-05
Original Source
September 5, 2015, in Tall Birak, 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. 2826/CS121 37SFA835617

Media From Sources (1)