Airwars assessment
Thirteen civilians reportedly died, including seven children and five women, following an attack on Abu Kamal, Deir Ezzor. Local sources were conflicted as to who was to blame, with some attributing blame to the US-led Coalition, while others blamed Russia.
At present, the culpable party remains unclear. The majority of sources alleged or suspected that Russia was responsible. However, the US-led Coalition received one allegation. Moreover, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported: it was not known whether the warplanes that targeted Abu Kamal city belong to the Coalition or the Russians. In addition, Euphrates Post’s initial assessment referred to explosive barrel bombs, and so the Regime also cannot be ruled out as a suspect.
13 Victims were listed by Euphrates Post as well as a family member by the name of Ja’far Al Rawa.
Baladi placed the death toll lower than most saying that “Eight civilians, including children and women from one family, were killed on Wednesday by coalition shelling targeting their home near Omar Mosque in the town of Abu Kamal, east of Deir al-Zour.” The source added that the aircraft targeted the city in a number of raids; centred on the vicinity of Aisha hospital and near the Mosque of Al-Hadi and Omar Mosque in Abu Kamal.
Al Jazeera said that one girl remained trapped under the rubble, with other reports suggesting many others were wounded, some in a critical condition.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Family members (13)
- Ahmed Saleh Al-Rawai Adult male Via Euphrates Post killed
- Hanan Al-Razaj Adult female Via Euphrates Post killed
- Rouba Ahmad Al-Rawi female Via Euphrates Post killed
- Rana Ahmed Al Rawi Age unknown female via Anqido Mudan al-Gharbyia killed
- Kinda Ahmed Al-Rawi Age unknown female killed
- Rana and Kinda’s child 1 Age unknown killed
- Rana and Kinda’s child 2 Age unknown killed
- Rana and Kinda’s child 3 Age unknown killed
- Rana and Kinda’s child 4 Age unknown killed
- Rana and Kinda’s child 5 Age unknown killed
- Wife of Riad Ahmad al-Rawi Adult female killed
- The child of Riad Ahmad al-Rawi female killed
- Naba’ Manhal Al-Rawi Child female
Summary
Sources (15) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention the city of Abu Kamal (البوكمال), for which the coordinates are: 34.466049, 40.907593. One source mentions that residential houses were struck in the vicinity of the Omar (عمر) mosque, however, due to limited information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.
Attached to this civilian harm incident is the Pentagon's declassified assessment of this civilian harm allegation, obtained by Azmat Khan and the New York Times through Freedom of Information requests and lawsuits filed since March 2017, 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 October 10th – 11th the Coalition reported that “Near Abu Kamal, one strike destroyed two ISIS vehicles and two trailers.”