Incident Code

CS1781

Location

الباغوز, Al Baghouz Fawqani, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Geolocation

34.4641667, 40.9452778
Accuracy: Village

Airwars Assessment

Last Updated: December 15, 2024

(Previous Incident Code: S1614)

Ten or thirteen civilians, including women and children, were killed when the village of al Baghouz was targeted by alleged Coalition airstrikes, two local sources said.

According to Sound and Picture, Coalition aircraft targeted a “civilian gathering” on the morning of July 16th and reported an initial toll of “10 martyrs from one family, mostly children and women.”

Step News Agency also identified the Coalition as the culprit, but reported a higher tally of thirteen civilians killed and an unspecified number of civilians injured, “including serious cases”. A correspondent for the media outlet specifically noted that the incident took place “after the bombing of al Sousse” – referencing event CS1780.

In the first of their September 2020 civilian casualty reports, the US-led Coalition assessed reports that they were responsible for civilian harm in this strike as “non-credible”, stating that no Coalition actions were conducted in the geographical area at that time.

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
10–13
3 Children, 3 Women

Geolocation Notes

Reports of the incident (first reported at noon, July 16) mention that the alleged Coalition airstrike targeted a civilian gathering in the town of al Baghouz, for which the coordinates are: 34.4641667, 40.9452778

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
No Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area
Civilian deaths conceded
None
Civilian injuries conceded
None
MGRS coordinate
37SFU786153
U.S.-led Coalition Strike Report
The Coalition publicly reported at the time that: “On July 16 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted four strikes consisting of four engagements against Daesh targets. Near Abu Kamal, four strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit, and destroyed one Daesh vehicle, two Daesh supply routes and one Daesh-held building."
French Military Strike Report
From July 11th to 17th, France report that Task Force Wagram carried out six artillery ‘shooting missions’ in the Euphrates Valley. In total since the start of the offensive on May 1st, it’s conducted 195 shooting missions. Aircraft conducted 24 sorties but there were no airstrikes.
U.S.-led Coalition Civilian Casualty Statement
2020-09-09
Original Source
July 16, 2018, in Baghouz, Syria, via Airwars report. After a review of all available records it was assessed that no Coalition actions were conducted in the geographical area that corresponds to the report of civilian casualties. 3172/CS1781 37SFU786153