Conflict

U.S.-led Coalition in Iraq & Syria

Incident Code

CS1715a

Location

البحرة, Barah, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Geolocation

34.75317, 40.771
Accuracy: Within 100m (via Coalition)

Airwars Assessment

Last Updated: December 15, 2024

In an incident previously not tracked by Airwars, the Coalition later confirmed the death of one civilian in an event near Barah. The UK later confirmed this was an RAF strike.

In its February 2019 report, the Coalition noted: “Coalition aircraft engaged an ISIS fighter operating a motorcycle. Regrettably, one civilian was unintentionally killed as a result.”

The Coalition provided Airwars with the location of this incident, accurate to within a 100 metre box.

In March 2020, Airwars and the BBC published an investigation revealing that the UK was refusing to accept responsibility for civilian harm in this and two other events – despite confirming that the RAF had conducted the strikes.

Senior MoD officials revealed that they were insisting upon ‘hard facts’ when determining casualties – an almost impossible bar to surmount, and at odds with the US-led Coalition’s own ‘balance of probabilities’ approach.

Key Information

Country
Military Actor
Strike Type
Airstrike
Civilian Harm Reported
Yes
Civilian Harm Status
Confirmed
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Civilians reported killed
1

Military Statements

U.S.-led Coalition Assessment
Known belligerent
U.S.-led Coalition
U.S.-led Coalition position on incident
Credible / Substantiated
Given reason for civilian harm
No reason given
Civilian deaths conceded
1
Civilian injuries conceded
None
Stated location
near Barah, Syria
Location accuracy
100 m
MGRS coordinate
37SFU621471
U.S.-led Coalition Strike Report
On Jan. 20 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 12 strikes consisting of 19 engagements against ISIS targets.  Near Abu Kamal, 12 strikes engaged 12 ISIS tactical units and destroyed two fighting positions, a staging facility, a VBIED, three weapons caches, two ISIS headquarters, an ISIS motorcycle, an ISIS construction vehicle and an ISIS-held building.
U.S.-led Coalition Civilian Casualty Statement
2019-02-28
Original Source
January 20, 2018, near Bahrah, Syria, via self-report. Coalition aircraft engaged an ISIS fighter operating a motorcycle. Regrettably, one civilian was unintentionally killed as a result.
UK Military Civilian Casualty Statement
20 January 2018: an RAF Reaper was in the process of guiding a Hellfire missile against a positively identified terrorist target. Whilst the missile was in flight, a previously unidentified individual was seen to be moving towards the designated target. The Reaper’s crew therefore guided the weapon away, but assessed that this individual may still have fallen casualty. Careful analysis was therefore conducted of the available footage and of all available reports from the area. These showed that there was no evidence of civilians being present in the location, and the footage identified a weapon being carried by the likely casualty. It was therefore concluded that said individual was very likely a Daesh extremist and not a civilian.