Incident Code

CS1718

Location

البحرة, Al Bahra village, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Geolocation

34.74226, 40.76953
Accuracy: Village

Airwars Assessment

Last Updated: December 15, 2024

(Previous Incident Code: S1521)

Thirty civilians allegedly died in Coalition airstrikes on Al Bahra village in the Deir Ezzor countryside, according to local sources. The original source for these claims appeared to be ISIS.

@7UFCmSxd0IUBffH and other sources said that there were “more than 30 martyrs, most of them women and children, and injured civilians, in US air strikes on the village of Al-Bahra.

The Shaam News Network reported “warplanes of the International Coalition committed a massacre in air strikes on the town of Al-Bahra”. It went on to cite the ISIS media agency Amaq Agency which had “said that coalition air raids on the town had killed 30 people, most of them women and children, and caused many casualties.”

An ISIS video associated with this event was released, though has since been deleted from public records. Al Jazeera also cited ISIS as the source for claims of 30 civilians killed. Further sources additionally blamed the Coalition, reporting that most of the victims were women and children. A number of sources referred specifically to “US airstrikes”.

Key Information

Country
Military Actor
Civilian Harm Reported
Yes
Civilian Harm Status
Weak
Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
Civilians reported killed
30
Civilians reported injured
2

Geolocation Notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Al Bahra village (البحرة), for which the generic coordinates are: 34.74226, 40.76953. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Military Statements

U.S.-led Coalition Assessment
Suspected belligerent
U.S.-led Coalition
U.S.-led Coalition position on incident
Non credible / Unsubstantiated
Reason for non-credible assessment
Insufficient evidence of civilian harm
Civilian deaths conceded
None
Civilian injuries conceded
None
Stated location
near Al Bahrah, Syria
Location accuracy
100 m
MGRS coordinate
37SFU619458
U.S.-led Coalition Strike Report
For January 26th 2018 the Coalition reported: “On Jan. 26 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted five strikes consisting of eight engagements against Daesh targets. Near Abu Kamal, five strikes engaged two Daesh tactical units and destroyed a construction vehicle, a VBIED, two fighting positions and two Daesh headquarters.”
UK Military Strike Report
Friday 26 January – Tornados struck a Daesh-held building and a Reaper hit a group of terrorists…On 26 January, a Reaper worked alongside two Tornados over the area [Euphrates area]; the Reaper identified one building occupied by extremists, which allowed the Tornados to strike, then it hit a further group with a Hellfire.
Dutch Military Strike Report
For January 24th-30th, the Netherlands report F16s attacked Dutch F-16s attacked ISIS targets in support of ground troops, including buildings, set-ups, a headquarters and a storage location. This happened in the neighborhood of Ar Ramadi and Abu Kamal in the province of Deir Al Zour in eastern Syria. Dutch fighter planes helped ground troops during 12 missions, which were also over the Iraqi provinces of Nineveh and Anbar. Weapons were used six times.
French Military Strike Report
For January 24th-30th, France reports that Task Force Wagram continued to provide support in the Euphrates Valley. Five firefighting missions were carried out for the benefit of the Iraqi security forces. This week, the air activity provided intelligence and support missions for the Iraqi security forces and the SDF. It resulted in 20 sorties during which three strikes were carried out, all in the area of ​​Abu Kamal in support of the SDF.
U.S.-led Coalition Civilian Casualty Statement
2018-05-31
Original Source
After a review of available information and strike video it was assessed that there is insufficient evidence to find civilians were harmed in this strike.

Media From Sources (1)