Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CS1628

Incident date

October 3, 2017

Location

البدو, Raqqa city: Baidou neighbourhood, Ar Raqqah, Syria

Geolocation

35.959, 38.9999 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Exact location (via Airwars) level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

13 civilians were killed – including nine from one family – due to the “bombing of the International Air Force on the city of Raqqa during the battle for control of the city”. Kurdish news agency Hawar later published an interview with a survivor named as Yazan Abdulrahman Mohammad, in which it was stated that in fact named nine family members had died in the event. According to the report itself, the family died during ISIS shelling of the building in which they were sheltering. However in the accompanying video interview, Mr Mohammad in fact blames their deaths on a “missile from a plane.” Field research done by Amnesty International reported that four of the victims were neighbours. Amnesty reported that nine family members died along with four neighbours in an airstrike on a four storey house in Hadeeqat al Bayda. This was their family home however the neighbours were Internally Displaced People.

During investigations of this event for the April 2019 joint Airwars and Amnesty report War in Raqqa: Rethoric versus Reality (www.raqqa.amnesty.org), Amnesty field researchers interviewed Yazan about this incident and established the exact location of it. The report notes: “An airstrike on a four-storey building in the Hadeeqat al Bayda neighbourhood killed nine members of the Subhi family and four of their neighhours.” Yazan said the following: “Every one in my family was killed in the strike, as well as our next door neighbours, who had come to stay with us because their house had been bombed the previous day. 19 were killed in that strike.” The strike of the previous day, in which 19 members of the next door neighbours were killed can be found under the following incident code: CS1634. The investigation also found that the strike took place at 5pm on October 3rd, 2017, rather than on October 17, as Airwars had initially reported.

The incident occured at 17:00:00 local time.

  • Walid Abu Mohammed 37 years old male eighbour staying with Subhi killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    13
  • (5 children4 women4 men)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    US-led Coalition

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Abdul Rahman Mohammed Ali and his wife, Fatima Amo, killed in an alleged Coalition strike on Raqqah, 16th October 2017 (via Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently)

Geolocation notes (2) [ collapse]

  • Building in which 13 civilians were killed, before the strike (September 29, 2017)

    Imagery:
    Amnesty International

  • Building in which 13 civilians were killed, after the strike (October 10, 2017)

    Imagery:
    Amnesty International

US-led Coalition Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition
  • US-led Coalition position on incident
    Non credible / Unsubstantiated
    Insufficient information to assess that, more likely than not, a Coalition strike resulted in civilian casualties.
  • Reason for non-credible assessment
    Insufficient information on the time and location
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • Stated location
    near Raqqah, Syria
    Nearest population center

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Jun 28, 2018
  • October 16, 2017, near Raqqah, Syria, via Airwars report. The report contains insufficient information of the time, location and details to assess its credibility.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

For October 16th-17th it noted: “Near Raqqah, three strikes suppressed three ISIS communication lines.” The last reported strikes prior to this were on October 12th.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    13
  • (5 children4 women4 men)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    US-led Coalition

Sources (3) [ collapse]