Geolocation
Airwars assessment
At least 9 and up to 15 members of the Salamah family died in an alleged Coalition airstrike on Raqqa’s Hisham Bin Abd al Malek neghbourhood. Local media reported this incident in July of 2017: According to Ahmad al Shibli, Marwan Al Salama and his entire family of nine people were killed when a Coalition missile struck their home. Alraqqa Alhadath reported that Mr Al Salama was an engineer.Step News Agency put the death toll higher at 12 “from the same family”, while Raqqa rwb reported that ” 15 senior and young people” from the family, which had been displaced from Deir Ezzor, were still unaccounted for.
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.”
During investigations of this event for the April 2019 joint Airwars and Amnesty report War in Raqqa: Rethoric versus Reality (www.raqqa.amnesty.org), Amnesty field researchers found that 9 members of the Salamah family were killed in this strike and were able to identify the precise location. The report notes: “Immediately after a double air strike killed 10 Shabshoul family members and neighbour on 13 July 2017, a third air strike destroyed a house across the road, where the Salamah family was sheltering, killing Baydoor al-Jarad-Salamah and her daughter, Iman al-Dueihi-Salamah and her three children, and the chidren’s grandfather.” One of the survivors, Majid, spoke to Amnesty researchers: “My wife and I had waited for 13 years for a child and finally we had been blessed with a lovely daughter, Aya, who was 15 months old. Both Aya and my wife were killed killed in the strike.” The investigation also found that the strike took place between 8.30 and 8.45 pm on July 13, 2017, whereas Airwars had initially reported that it took place on July 17, 2017.
The incident occured between 8:30 pm and 8:45 pm local time.
The victims were named as:
Family members (12)
Summary
Sources (15) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]
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Ayman Abdul Wahab Al-Duweihi, the wife of Sajid Al-Salama, and her sons Marwan, Mayar and Kanan, Majid Marwan Al Salama and Bodor Jarad, killed by an alleged Coalition airstrike on Ar Raqqah: Hisham Bin Abd al Malek neighbourhood, 17th July 2017. (via RBSS)
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Children of the family who were killed by an alleged Coalition airstrike on Ar Raqqah: Hisham Bin Abd al Malek neighbourhood, 17th July 2017. (via RBSS)
Geolocation notes (2) [ 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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July 17, 2017 near Hisham Bin Abd al-Malik 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 17th-18th: “Near Raqqah, 16 strikes engaged 10 ISIS tactical units and destroyed 13 fighting positions, two ISIS-held buildings, a tactical vehicle and an UAS.” It additionally reported that “On July 17, near Raqqah, Syria, nine strikes engaged eight ISIS tactical units and destroyed a fighting position and an ISIS command and control node.”
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.
‘OPÉRATION CHAMMAL SITUATION En Syrie, Dans la ville de Raqqah désormais encerclée, Daech défend fermement les quartiers sous son contrôle en s’appuyant sur un usage intensif de pièges dont le terrain est littéralement saturé pour ralentir la progression des forces démocratiques syriennes (FDS). Cette stratégie impose aux FDS de déminer, pas à pas, chaque rue et chaque maison, sous la menace permanente de tireurs isolés entre autres tactiques adverses. Leur progression reste donc très lente. En Irak, Alors que les opérations de sécurisation de Mossoul se poursuivent, la principale zone de combat se situe désormais à l’Ouest de la ville dans le secteur de Tall Afar. Depuis cette localité, Daech mène des actions de harcèlement par des tirs directs et indirects contre les positions des Forces de Sécurité Irakiennes (FSI) à proximité. L’effort aérien de la coalition s’y porte donc tout en s’accompagnant d’un engagement plus large sur l’ensemble des autres territoires encore sous le contrôle de l’organisation terroriste. Daech poursuit notamment ses actions de harcèlement depuis la poche de Hawijah et dans l’Anbar, région dans laquelle elle dispose de nombreux camps et caches d’armes. ACTIVITÉS DE LA FORCE Cette semaine, les aéronefs ont réalisé 37 sorties aériennes dont 31 de reconnaissance armée et d’appui au sol (CAS), ainsi que 04 missions de recueil de renseignement et 02 de ravitaillement en vol après le déploiement récent d’un C135. La moitié des frappes françaises (6 sur les 11 frappes) a été réalisée dans le cadre de la bataille de Raqqah, les missions de reconnaissance française ou alliée permettant d’en réaliser autant sur le reste du théâtre afin de préparer les manœuvres futures ou de peser sur les réseaux terroristes. La Task Force (TF) Wagram a mené de son côté 26 missions de tir dont 17 de harcèlement et 09 d’éclairement. Le bilan global de CHAMMAL depuis le 19 septembre 2014 s’élève 1322 frappes, 2090 objectifs détruits et 6812 sorties aériennes réalisées. 1310 missions d’artillerie complètent cet engagement cinétique de la France au Levant.’