Geolocation
Airwars assessment
Three civilians from one family died (a father, his son and his daughter) and up to 20 more people were wounded in airstrikes in Shumeteya, according to local sources. No reports pointed directly at the Coalition – though several referred to unidentified “warplanes”. Other sources were conflicted as to whether this was the work of Russia or the Syrian regime.
The majority of sources (including Jisrtv, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Syrianfreearmy) attributed the event to Moscow.
According to 7al, “”Russian warplanes carried out more than three raids on the village of al-Shamita, killing three civilians and injuring more than 20 others, mostly women and children, in addition to destroying a large amount of property,’ said Sufian al-Issa, a resident of the western countryside.”
The Syrian Press Center added, “Activists said that Russian air strikes targeted five civilian homes in the village of Shamitiya in the western countryside of Deir al-Zour, which resulted in the death of a father, his son and his daughter, in addition to destruction of property.”
But according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, regime warplanes were to blame.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Family members (3)
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention the village of Shumeteya (الشميطية), for which the generic coordinates are: 35.470833, 39.935556. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.
Summary
Sources (19) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]
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The aftermath of a strike on Shumeteya, July 23rd 2017. (via Euphrates Post)
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The aftermath of a strike on Shumeteya, July 23rd 2017. (via Euphrates Post)
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The aftermath of a strike on Shumeteya, July 23rd 2017. (via Euphrates Post)
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 23rd – 24th, the Coalition reported: “Near Dayr Az Zawr, three strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle, an oil tanker, and an oil storage tank.“
In the last week (20th-27th) France reports carrying out two strikes in Raqqah, destroying two ISIL combat positions. Task Force (TF) Wagram carried out 21 artillery strikes in Mosul. The overall record of air activity since September 19th 2014 amounts to 1,324 strikes, 2,092 targets destroyed and 6,857 sorties.
‘OPÉRATION CHAMMAL SITUATION En Syrie, Dans la ville de Raqqah, Daech continue de perdre du terrain, jour après jour, face aux Forces Démocratiques Syriennes. Les combattants terroristes continuent néanmoins de disposer de solides positions défensives dans le cœur de la ville, à partir desquelles ils mènent des contre-attaques régulières et des actions de harcèlement. En Irak, Les forces de sécurités irakiennes poursuivent leurs opérations de sécurisation de la ville de Mossoul, face à des équipes isolées de combattants qui continuent de mener des actions symboliques de harcèlement. Dans le même temps, Daech consolide ses positions autour de Tal Afar, pour tenter de résister à l’offensive prochaine de la Coalition pour libérer aussi cette ville. Daech poursuit par ailleurs ses actions de diversion et de harcèlement, en se concentrant dans les régions de l’Anbar et d’Hawijah. Certaines actions ont également été menées cette semaine dans l’Ouest de l’Irak, dans la région de Rutbah. ACTIVITÉS DE LA FORCE Cette semaine, les aéronefs ont réalisé 45 sorties aériennes dont 31 de reconnaissance armée et d’appui au sol (CAS), ainsi que 04 missions de recueil de renseignement et 06 de ravitaillement en vol. Un C135-FR récemment déployé a en effet réalisé de nombreuses missions en quelques jours à peine, soutenant ainsi, à son niveau, la bascule des efforts de la Coalition vers les autres bastions de Daech. Deux frappes ont été menées dans le cadre de la bataille de Raqqah, détruisant deux positions de combattants ennemies, au contact des troupes alliées engagées. De ces positions, des tireurs de Daech tenaient sous leur feu les soldats alliés à une centaine de mètres à peine. La Task Force (TF) Wagram a réalisé 21 missions de tir dont 07 de harcèlement et 14 d’éclairement. Ces missions interdisent une offensive de contre des terroristes vers Mossoul. Le bilan global de l’activité aérienne depuis le 19 septembre 2014 s’élève à 1 324 frappes, 2 092 objectifs détruits et 6 857 sorties. Le bilan global de l’activité artillerie atteint 1 331 missions.’