Geolocation
Airwars assessment
Eight civilians including an entire family died in alleged Coalition airstrikes on Abu Kamal, local media reported.
According to Euphrates Post, “warplanes believed to belong to the international coalition carried out a number of air strikes targeting the town of Abu Kamal and its countryside. The attack targeted the crude oil burners in Al Bagouz and Al Sousse, and the house of a civilian in the town of Abu Kamal near the automated bakery as well as three cars belonging to Daesh in the town of Al Hari, burning them completely and killing all those inside. Another vehicle belonging Daesh was also struck in the vicinity of Al Sha’afeh, along with the home of a member of Daesh near the al Sukkariya roundabout. The raids resulted in a number of martyrs and wounded civilians and the names of the victims will be published as soon as they are received”.
Eight victims were later named by Euphrates Post.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights was among sources blaming the Coalition, and put the death toll at at least seven including four children and two women. It said that the raids struck the Sena’a neighborhood. Shaam News Network put the number killed at eight, as did SHRC, both attributing the event to the Coalition.
According to Al Jazeera, alleged Coalition “raids targeted the housing district and the Industrial Zone and Dwar Al Sukkariyah in Abu Kamal, in addition to crude oil refineries in the towns of Al Bagouz and Al Shafa in the countryside of the city.”
Smart – also pointing towards the Coalition – added that “aircraft bombed civilian houses near the departure and places storing food for animals,the vicinity of the old hospital and Aisha Hospital and the industrial sector in the city of Abu Kamal (124 km southeast of Deir ez Zawr)”. All4Syria was alone in reporting that the event occurred on September 18th.
In August 2019, the Coalition announced that it had classed this allegation of civilian harm as non-credible. Their monthly civilian casualty report noted: “After a review of all available records it was determined that, more likely than not, civilian casualties did not occur as a result of a Coalition action.”
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Family members (7)
The victims were named as:
Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]
Reports of the incident mention the area of Al Sena’a (الصناعة) (industrial neighbourhood) in the city of Abu Kamal (البوكمال). Airwars was unable to verify the location of this neighbourhood, however, a number of specific locations was mentioned in the countryside of Abu Kamal: near the automated bakery, according to Euphrates Post (34.465674, 40.918536); the Al Sukkariyah (السكریة) roundabout area (34.476270, 40.911713, see also incident CS1501); areas near the bus station (34.466939, 40.915339) and the vicinity of the old and Aisha hospital (34.460755, 40.907872).
Summary
Sources (20) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]
US-led Coalition Assessment:
Civilian casualty statements
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Sep. 17, 2017, near Abu Kamal, Syria, via Airwars report. After a review of all available records it was determined that, more likely than not, civilian casualties did not occur as a result of a Coalition action.
Original strike reports
For September 16th – 17th the Coalition reported: “Near Dayr Az Zawr, one strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed an ISIS boat.”
For September 17th - 18th, the Coalition reported: "Near Abu Kamal, three strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a logistics node and an ISIS headquarters" and "Near Dayr Az Zawr, two strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a VBIED and an ISIS headquarters"
‘Sunday 17 September – a Reaper eliminated a truck-bomb near Dayr az Zawr, while Tornados bombed a weapons store near Abu Kamal in eastern Syria…The next day, a Reaper conducted yet another successful attack north-east of Dayr az Zawr, eliminating a truck-bomb with a Hellfire, whilst to the south-east, close to the border with Iraq, two Tornados bombed a weapons store near Abu Kamal.’