Geolocation
Airwars assessment
Raqqa is being Slaughtered Silently named one civilian as killed “as a result of the shelling” of Raqqa.
However, there is the possibility that this may be the same incident as CS1469, in the neighbourhood of Al Ferdous, on September 11th.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention the city of Al Ferdos, for which the generic coordinates are: 35.9505639, 39.0094148. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.
Summary
Sources (1) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]
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'Martyrdom of "Shaykh al-Hassoun al-Hamad al-Sheikh" as a result of the shelling on the city of Al-Raqqa yesterday. [Sept 11th] (via RBSS)
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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The report contains insufficient information of the time, location and details to assess its credibility.
Original strike reports
For September 10th-11th: “Near Raqqah, 23 strikes engaged eight ISIS tactical units; destroyed 20 fighting positions, two logistics nodes, and a vehicle; and suppressed two fighting positions.” It additionally reported that “On Sept. 10, near Raqqah, Syria, 11 strikes engaged five ISIS tactical units; destroyed 14 vehicles, three fighting positions, a logistics node, and an anti-air artillery system; and suppressed a fighting position.”
For September 11th - 12th, the Coalition reported: " •Near Raqqah, 31 strikes [1 British] engaged seven ISIS tactical units and destroyed 24 fighting positions, 17 vehicles, three logistics nodes, an ISIS headquarters, an IED, and a command and control node" It later reported, "On Sept. 11, near Raqqah, 16 strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units and destroyed 17 fighting positions and a logistics node"
‘Monday 11 September – Tornados destroyed two sniper positions in Raqqa, and attacked a Daesh-held compound and terrorists on a motorcycle near Dayr az Zawr…A flight of Royal Air Force Tornados supported the Syrian Democratic Forces fighting in Raqqa on Monday 11 September, when Paveway IV guided bombs were used to destroy two sniper positions. A second Tornado flight patrolled north-east of Dayr az Zawr, where they attacked a group of terrorists in a compound with a Paveway IV. Survivors of the attack then attempted to move to another position on a motorcycle, but were successfully engaged with a Brimstone missile.’
‘Tuesday 12 September – a Reaper successfully guided a coalition airstrike onto a truck-bomb workshop near Dayr az Zawr…The following day [Sept 12th], a Reaper remotely piloted aircraft operated in the same area near Dayr az Zawr, and provided precision targeting that enabled a coalition air strike to destroy a truck-bomb workshop and a vehicle that was being prepared there.’