Geolocation
Airwars assessment
Local media reported that members of ISIS families died in airstrikes which hit homes in al A’shara/Al Hawa – though none of the reports said who was responsible for the incident. Moreover, there was some dispute over the location of the strike, and whether the homes struck belonged to civilians.
According to Euphrates Post, “Two foreign families belonging to IS were killed as a result of the targeting of two houses by warplanes in Al-Hawi neighborhoods in the city of Al-A’shara.”
However, in the comments section underneath the post, a comment by Amin al Huweish reads: “By God, I don’t know where you get your information from. First of all the strike was not on al Hawi Road. Secondly the raids were on civilian homes and until now no one is reported killed. I am from al A’shara and I know it inch by inch and neighbourhood by neighbourhood. Have some fear of God when spreading news.”
7al also said the strike was on the Al Hawi neighbourhood, resulting in the death of “two European families belonging to the organization [ISIS]”
Two children were named as injured in an airstrike.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention multiple neighbourhoods (Al Jaber, Al Ahmadali, Al Hawi and Al Hikma street (الحكمة)) in the town of Al Asharah (العشارة), for which the coordinates are: 34.92, 40.56
Summary
Sources (12) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (5) [ collapse]
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.’