Geolocation
Airwars assessment
Two adult male civilians and up to two children were killed in an alleged Coalition airstrike on their home in Raqqa’s al Amassi neighbourhood, local media reported.
In February 2019, the Coalition accepted responsibility for the event, noting: “Coalition aircraft engaged an ISIS headquarters multistory building. Regrettably, four civilians were unintentionally killed and two civilians were injured as a result of the explosion.”
Sources noted that Ahmed Ali Obaid Al-Taha’s wife, Hayat Muhammad Obeid al-Taha, died in an earlier casualty event on July 25th, listed on the July 2017 civilian casualty page as event S1117.
According to Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS), Ahmed Ali Obaid Al-Taha’s son, Samer, was also seriously injured. Subsequent reports by RBSS were somewhat confused: one said that Samer had died, while another called for people to post information about his whereabouts, thereby implying that the boy was lost and not confirmed dead.
Palmyra media centre added: “The child Samer Ahmad Al-Taha … No trace was found of him neither in the hospital nor among those who were pulled from under the ruins of the destroyed house …The international coalition killed his mother and father and his sister is clinically dead.”
The sister was named by Palmyra revolution coordination committee as Ghazal, and this source said that she had died. Ahmad Al Shibli also said that she had been killed.
The Coalition provided Airwars with the location of this incident, accurate to within a 100 metre box.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Summary
Sources (13) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]
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Ahmed Ali Obeid al-Taha, killed with up to two of his children in an alleged Coalition raid on their home, August 6th 2017. (via RBSS)
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Ghazal, killed with her father and brother in an alleged Coalition raid on their home, August 6th 2017. (via RBSS)
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Samer Ahmad Al-Taha, killed with his father and sister in an alleged Coalition raid on their home, August 6th 2017. (via Palmyra media centre)
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention the neighbourbood or street of Al Amassi (الاماسي) in Raqqa (الرقة). The coordinates for this neighbourhood are: 35.953492, 39.011271. Prior to the Coalition releasing the MGRS for this incident, Airwars had geolocated it to the nearest neighbourhood/area at 35.953302, 39.01131
US-led Coalition Assessment:
Civilian casualty statements
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August 06, 2017, near Raqqa, Syria, via Airwars report. Coalition aircraft engaged an ISIS headquarters multistory building. Regrettably, four civilians were unintentionally killed and two civilians were injured as a result of the explosion.
Original strike reports
For August 6th-7th: “Near Raqqah, 24 strikes engaged 11 ISIS tactical units and destroyed 30 fighting positions, two vehicles, two command and control nodes, two mortar systems, a tunnel, a heavy machine gun, an IED facility, and a VBIED facility; and damaged six fighting positions.” It additionally reporeted that “On Aug. 6, near Raqqah, Syria, 12 strikes engaged eight ISIS tactical units and destroyed six fighting positions, a mortar system, an anti-air artillery system, and a VBIED.” And that “On Aug. 6, near Raqqah, Syria, one strike destroyed 10 ISIS fighting positions and two mortar systems.”