Geolocation
Airwars assessment
A major civilian casualty incident allegedly took place at an IDP camp near Jadid Akeidat, Eastern Deir Ezzor countryside. Al Yaqeen reported about 100 displaced people were killed, mostly women and children, following an alleged aerial bombardment by the US-led Coalition at the camp (pictured). However this was contested – with Euphrates Post asserting that this news was in fact propaganda put out by the so-called Islamic State organization.
Activists quoted in the Syrian Mirror described a “massacre of about 120 civilians, including 100 children”, the death tolls were reiterated by Jisrtv – both blamed the US-led Coalition.
Activists shared concern “about the increase in the number due to the injuries of varying degrees of danger, in light of the weakness of medical services and the shortage of medicines and medical staff” with Shaam News, they also posted pictures which showed the wounded and “significant physical destruction in the targeted area’”. According to Shaam “Al-Assad and his Russian ally planes fly with the International Coalition aircraft to bomb areas under the control of the Islamic State in Deir al-Ghazal countryside, which are full of civilians. None of the planes have taken any notice of the lives of children, women and the elderly”.
Sadaalsham News did not identify a culprit, and referred only to “unknown military aircraft”, however it cited Step News Agency which quoted a source “close to Daesh”, which attributed blame to the US-led Coalition. @abazeid89 blamed both the US-led Coalition and Russia for the massacre, and posted a graphic photograph of a girl bloodied following the raid.
RFS Media Office said Moscow was responsible, asserting that “Russian warplanes” carried out the “horrific massacre” on the IDP camps in Deir Ezzor city’s countryside.
A later report from Euphrates Post revealed a significant discrepancy with reporting and said the incident did not happen. According to the Post the Al-A’amaq agency, the media wing of so-called Islamic State, “broadcast a video showing children victims’ bodies it claimed to have died as a result of the bombing of the international coalition aircraft on a camp near the village of Jadid Akeidat rural Deir Ezzor East”. However the Post “ found that the children martyrs were killed as a result of the bombing by Russian warplanes on the town of Khisham on Thursday morning and that the children’s pictures belong to the children of Fadil Mohammed Al Khamis, who are displaced from the village of Al Bou Amro and they are in the town of Khasham”. Euphrates Post claimed “There is also no camp in the village of Jadid Akidat or near it. There were no raids on the town of Jadid Akeidat yesterday. What Al A’amaq broadcast were the victims or the massacres in al mayadeen, Bokdors and Khisham”
Two named children were killed in the town of Khasham, according to Euphrates Post, and reported by al a’amaq as having been killed in the alleged Jadid Akeidate camp.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Summary
Sources (19) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (5) [ collapse]
-
The camp near the village of "Jadid Akeidat" (via Al Yaqeen news agency)
-
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Graphic stills from a video post by A'amaq Agency, September 14th (via Shaam) -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
-
A row of children killed in alleged airstrikes on an IDP camp near Jadid Akeidad. The incident, initially reported by A'amaq was disounted by Euphrates Post as so-called Islamic State propaganda. September 14th (via Euphrates Post)
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention an IDP camp near the town of Jadid Akeidat (جدید عكیدات). Airwars was unable to locate an IDP camp or individual tents/structures of IDPs near this town on satellite image before or after the alleged incident. The coordinates for the town of Jadid Akeidat (جدید عكیدات) are: 35.254309, 40.355344
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
-
After a review of available information and strike video it was assessed that there is insufficient evidence to find civilians were harmed in this strike
Original strike reports
For September 13th-14th, the Coalition reported: “Near Dayr Az Zawr, nine strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units and destroyed two tactical vehicles, an ISIS fuel station and a fighting position " and, “Near Abu Kamal, one strike destroyed an ISIS headquarters.“
For September 14th-15th: “Near Dayr Az Zawr, two strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed two vehicles", and "On Sept. 14, near Dayr Az Zawr, Syria six strikes destroyed an ISIS UAS, a fighting position, an ISIS supply route and suppressed three fighting positions"
‘Wednesday 13 September – a Reaper twice engaged terrorists on foot, as well as a truck-bomb, whilst Tornados and Typhoons struck a Daesh building, all near Dayr az Zawr…On Wednesday 13 September, another Reaper continued patrolling near Dayr az Zawr. It used two Hellfire missiles to attack terrorists spotted on foot, then employed a third missile to destroy an armoured truck-bomb positioned next to a main road. A mixed Tornado and Typhoon pair meanwhile targeted a group of Daesh in a building nearby, scoring a direct hit with a Brimstone.’