Geolocation
Airwars assessment
Local media reported on the death of a civilian male following alleged US-led Coalition strikes in the Jamaa al Shamati area of Raqqah.
Reports of his death came amidst reports of the destruction of Al Shamati mosque in Raqqa city, though only one source connected the death of Ahmed Taher al-Khatib with the destruction of the mosque. Raqqa is Being Slaughtered later published a photo of the victim, and said he died at Jamaa al Shamati.
All sources blamed the US-led Coalition for loss of civilian life and the material destruction.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Summary
Sources (6) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]
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Ahmed Taher al-Khatib (via Raqqa is Being Slaughrered Silently)
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention the Al Shamati mosque (الشمطي), in the city of Raqqa. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location of this mosque. The generic coordinates for the city of Raqqa are: 35.9505639, 39.0094148.
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 17th – 18th the Coalition reported “Near Raqqah, 30 strikes engaged 10 ISIS tactical units, destroyed 44 vehicles and 13 fighting positions, damaged 13 supply routes and a VBIED, and suppressed two fighting positions.” It additionally reported that “On Sept. 17, near Raqqah, Syria, seven strikes destroyed six ISIS fighting positions and a logistics node.” And that “On Sept. 17, near Raqqah, Syria, three strikes destroyed seven fighting positions.”
For September 19th - 20th, the Coalition reported: "Near Raqqah, 30 strikes engaged six ISIS tactical units and destroyed 28 fighting positions, three vehicles, two ISIS communications infrastructure items and an ISIS headquarters" It later added "On Sept. 18, near Raqqah, Syria, 42 strikes engaged 23 ISIS tactical units; destroyed 23 fighting positions, eight vehicles, three VBIEDs, two ISIS UAS systems, and a command and control node; and suppressed four fighting positions" and "On Sept. 19, near Raqqah, Syria, 15 strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed 17 vehicles, 13 fighting positions, and suppressed a fighting position"