Conflict

U.S.-led Coalition in Iraq & Syria

Incident Code

CS1218

Location

أبوحمام, Abu Hamam, school and residential buildings, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Geolocation

34.8225, 40.679722
Accuracy: Village

Airwars Assessment

Last Updated: December 15, 2024

(Previous Incident Code: S1068)

Local sources reported that three civilians died in an alleged Coaltion airstrike which hit al Amin School in Abu Haman.

According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, the death toll included three women.

All sources pointed towards the Coalition.

RFS said that “a warplane that likely belonging to the International Alliance targeted a school and a compound of residential buildings inside the villages of Al-Kashkiya and Abu Hamam. Four civilians were killed and others wounded.”

In their June 2020 civilian casualty report, the US-led Coalition assessed reports that they were responsible for civilian harm in this strike as “non-credible”, stating that no Coalition actions were conducted in the geographical area at that time.

Key Information

Country
Military Actor
Civilian Harm Reported
Yes
Civilian Harm Status
Fair
Civilians reported killed
3–6
2 Women

Geolocation Notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Abu Hamam, school and residential buildings (أبوحمام), for which the generic coordinates are: 34.8225, 40.679722. 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
MGRS coordinate
37SFU536546
U.S.-led Coalition Strike Report
For July 17th-18th: “Near Dayr Az Zawr, six strikes destroyed 12 ISIS oil refinement stills, four well-heads, and two oil storage tanks.”
French Military Strike Report
For July 12th-18th, France report 11 strikes: 7 in Syria (6 in Raqqa) and 4 in Iraq. There were 26 artillery strikes in Mosul. Since September 19th 2014 France has carried out 1322 strikes, with 2090 targets destroyed and 6812 air sorties. Additionally, they’ve carried out 1310 artillery missions.
U.S.-led Coalition Civilian Casualty Statement
2020-06-24
Original Source
July 17, 2017, in Abu Hamam, 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. 3123/CS1218 37SFU536546