Geolocation
Airwars assessment
Local media reported that five people were killed following airstrikes on Tabiyeh Shamieh, Deir Ezzor Governorate. Three of those who died were named in two separate reports from Euphrates Post.
Sources said the location of the incident was the “water crossing” at Tabiyeh Shamieh. According to the Syrian Observatory some civilians were “permanently disabled” following the strikes, “while others who were injured are still critical” with the death toll expected to rise. The Observatory referred to both Russian and Coalition planes at work in the vicinity, though did not specify who was to blame for the Tabiyeh Shamieh incident specifically.
There remains significant confusion in reporting. Euphrates Post and Sydusyria alleged Russian forces of being solely responsible; Step and Shaam News Network did not specify a culprit – Shaam claimed “all planes were bombing” whilst Step described a “bombardment of dozens of raids”.
Smart reported Russia had targeted the area in, conjunction with the Regime, The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights alleged the US-led Coalition responsible for the attack and resultant loss of civilian life.
A Smart report quoted a statement from the Russians, “The ministry said in a statement that the Veliky Novgorod and Kolpino submarines in the eastern part of the Mediterranean had targeted “locations” of the Islamic State in the south-eastern Deir es-Zour countryside (without specifying the location)”. It is unclear whether this statement relates to the incident at Tabiyeh Shamieh water crossing.
Shaam said that none of the planes (Russia, Coalition or the Regime) “have taken any notice of the lives of children, women and the elderly” as they bomb areas besieged by so-called Islamic State in Deir al-Ghazal countryside.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Summary
Sources (16) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]
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Muhammad al-Mutlaq Abu Jassim, killed in an airstrike onTabiyeh Shamieh, Sept 14th (via Euphrates Post)
Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]
Reports of the incident mention a river crossing near the village of Tabiyeh Shamieh (طابیة شامیة), for which the coordinates are: 35.2508364, 40.2988037. A river crossing west of the village can be found here: 35.258551, 40.279398. One source also mentions a water well, which points to another possible location of a river crossing near a water pumping station: 35.259401, 40.290508
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 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.”
For September 14th - 15th, the Coalition reported: "Near Dayr Az Zawr, two strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed two vehicles". It later reported, "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"
‘Friday 15 September – a Reaper supported coalition airstrikes near Dayr az Zawr, and delivered two attacks itself against extremists in the open, whilst Typhoons destroyed a Daesh-held building… On Friday 15 September, a Reaper was again very active north-east of Dayr az Zawr; it provided support to coalition airstrikes which destroyed three Daesh-held buildings, then conducted two attacks on its own account with Hellfire missiles against terrorists moving through the area. Nearby, a Typhoon flight bombed a further Daesh-held building.’