Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CS1716

Incident date

January 23, 2018

Location

الشعفة, Al Sha'afa, Deir ez-Zor, Syria

Geolocation

34.595858, 40.938138 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Exact location (via Airwars) level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Up to 15 civilian including as many as seven women died in an alleged Coalition airstrike at a hospital in al Sha’afa, according to local media.

Free Deir Ezzor put the death toll at 14 including seven women. It published photographs of ruins of “the hospital targeted by the Coalition”.

According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, four women died in the attack.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the death toll at “15 casualties including 7 citizen women”.

It named victims as Nadia Al Abada Al Ali Mustafa (Umm Mahmoud) from the town of Muhsin and the wife of Ahmed Al Mahmoud Al Salem Al Mousa (Al Kadran)“.

Baladi reported that “on Tuesday, warplanes targeted the Al-Pomsir complex in the town of Al-Sha’afa in Al-Boukamal, east of Deir Al-Zour, which caused its complete destruction.”

Euphrates Post later reported “the martyrdom” of nurse Basma Mohammed and her daughter Sajida. While the post did not mention the day in which the victims were killed, it did specify that the victims were killed “as a result of airstrikes that targeted Sha’afa Hospital”.

According to Bellingcat, the date of the attack is not clear. Some local sources reported it happened on January 23rd, others 24th and also January 27th.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (2)

Basma Mohammed
Adult female Nurse killed
Sajida
Child female Daughter of Basma killed

The victims were named as:

Nadia Al Abada Al Ali Mustafa
Adult female Also known as Umm Mahmoud, from the town of Muhsin killed
Wife of Ahmed Al Mahmoud Al Salem Al Mousa (Al Kadran)
Adult female killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4 – 15
  • (3–7 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • 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 (19) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (6) [ collapse]

  • The ruins of a hospital in al Sha’afa, following an alleged Coalition airstrike on Jan 23rd (via Free Deir Ezzor)
  • Rescuers search in the rubble for survivors (via Free Deir Ezzor Radio)
  • Rescuers remove a casualty from a suspected Coalition airstrike (via Free Deir Ezzor Radio)
  • Images from Deir Ezzor Free Radio (published by Bellingcat) of an alleged Coalition attack on Al-Shafa'a in Deir Ezzor on January 23rd, 2018.
  • Imagery shows a destroyed building, presumed to be Al Boomsir complex, in the center of the image along the vertically running main road left of the triangular junction. (Via Bellingcat)
  • Imagery shows a building, presumed to be Al Boomsir complex, in the center of the image along the vertically running main road left of the triangular junction, taken on January 8thm 2018. (via Bellingcat)

US-led Coalition Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition
  • US-led Coalition position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

For January 22nd-23rd, the Coalition reported: “Near Abu Kamal, four strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units and destroyed two ISIS supply routes, a command and control center and an ISIS-held building.”

It also noted that "On Jan. 23 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted six strikes consisting of 10 engagements against ISIS targets.
Near Abu Kamal, six strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed three pieces of ISIS construction equipment, three fighting positions and two ISIS supply routes."

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4 – 15
  • (3–7 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • 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 (19) [ collapse]