Geolocation
Airwars assessment
Between eight and nine civilians died in an airstrike on the al Masriya roundabout in Abu Kamal, according to local media – though sources at the time were conflicted as to whether the US-led Coalition or Russia was responsible.
In September 2019 the Coalition accepted responsibility for this incident. Its monthly civilian casualty report noted: “Coalition aircraft conducted an airstrike against a Daesh headquarter building. Regrettably, two civilians were unintentionally killed as a result of the strike.” Nine months later, the Pentagon declared this to have been a US action.
According to Sharqiya Voice at the time of the event, there were “dozens of martyrs and wounded in the city of Abu Kamal as a result of the bombing of warplanes at al Masriya roundabout a short while ago.”
Step News Agency pointed towards the Coalition, reporting that eight civilians died in a strike on trucks and shops near the al Masriya roundabout.
However, Euphrates Post attributed the event to Russia, reporting that nine died and dozens more were wounded when Russian planes struck a gathering of cars and food warehouses near the roundabout.
The Smart News Agency also blamed Russian jets, as did Baladi and Souriatna Press.
According to Marsad al Hassaka, airstrikes targeted the warehouse of Fayez Hamid Al-Alaw at dawn.
A former player with the Al-Fatwa Club was named as one of the victims.
According to a post on the Our Abu Kamal facebook page, eight civilians died, of which three were Iraqis, four from Deir Ezzor and one a local martyr.
In May 2020, in its annual civilian harm report to Congress, the Pentagon conceded this to have been a US military action.
The incident occured during the night.
The victims were named as:
Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]
Reports of the incident mention strikes in the area of Al Masriya roundabout (المصریة), for which the coordinates are: 34.442177, 40.923112, and the Al Alswaiya bridge (السوبعیة) located at these coordinates: 34.440986, 40.929233. Satellite imagery available to Airwars from Oct. 01, 2017 shows structural damage to a building in the area, for which the coordinates are: 34.440995, 40.927527 Coordinates released by the Coalition place the event at 34.45615, 40.91601
Summary
Sources (18) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]
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A picture of Khalil Ibrahim, a former player of Al-Fatwa Club, killed in the massacre of the city of Albu Kamal on Tuesday, Oct 17th, 2018 (via Euphrates Post)
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A picture reveals the destruction following an airstrike on the city of Albu Kamal on Tuesday, Oct 17th, 2018 (via Sound and Picture)
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Table from May 2020 Pentagon report to Congress, conceding additional US civilian harm events in Iraq and Syria during 2017.
US-led Coalition Assessment:
Civilian casualty statements
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October 17, 2017, in Abu Kamal, Syria, via Airwars report. Coalition aircraft conducted an airstrike against a Daesh headquarter building. Regrettably, two civilians were unintentionally killed as a result of the strike.
Original strike reports
For October 17th-18th, the Coalition reported: “Near Abu Kamal, two strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed two VBEID factories and an ISIS headquarters.“