Incident Code

CS1720

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: S1525)

Multiple sources reported the death of eleven civilians and seven or more wounded in an alleged Coalition airstrike on Al Bahra village, northwest of the town of Hajin.

A tweet from @BassamJaara was the only source with an estimated tally of more than 30 casualties, claiming that: “More than 30 people, mostly children and women, were killed by US air strikes on the village of Al-Bahra northwest of the Hajeen city of Deir Al-Zour yesterday.” A tweet by @CkmKZSiHpiYW0c1 mentioned “dozens” of civilians were injured by an “aerial bombardment of international coalition”.

Most other sources however, reported instead eleven slain and seven injured civilians – with some reports specifically mentioning “US airstrikes”.

According to a number of local reports, the strikes hit a hospital in the rural town. This was later also noted by the Syrian Network for Human Rights, which said that the airstrikes rendered the makeshift hospital inoperable.

In February 2019, the Coalition assessed this event to be non-credible. Their report noted: “After review of all available strike records it was determined that more likely than not civilian casualties did not occur as a result of a Coalition strike.”

In May 2019, the Coalition appear to have re-assessed this allegation, still resulting in a non-credible assessment. Their report noted, “after a review of all available strike records it was determined that, more likely than not, civilian casualties did not occur as a result of a Coalition strike.”

Key Information

Country
Military Actor
Civilian Harm Reported
Yes
Civilian Harm Status
Fair
Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
Civilians reported killed
11–30
Civilians reported injured
7–24

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
Other
Civilian deaths conceded
None
Civilian injuries conceded
None
Stated location
near al-Bahra, Syria
Location accuracy
100 m
MGRS coordinate
37SFU619458
U.S.-led Coalition Strike Report
For February 2nd the Coalition reported: “On Feb. 2 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted six strikes consisting of 16 engagements against ISIS targets.
U.S.-led Coalition Civilian Casualty Statement
2019-02-28
Original Source
Feb. 2, 2018, near al-Bahra, Syria via Airwars report. After review of all available strike records it was determined that more likely than not civilian casualties did not occur as a result of a Coalition strike.
U.S.-led Coalition Civilian Casualty Statement
2019-05-31
Original Source
Feb. 2, 2018, near al-Bahra, Syria, via Airwars report. After a review of all available strike records it was determined that, more likely than not, civilian casualties did not occur as a result of a Coalition strike.

Media From Sources (4)