Conflict

U.S.-led Coalition in Iraq & Syria

Incident Code

CS1787

Location

الشعفة, Al Sha'afa (possibly east of village), Deir Ezzor, Syria

Geolocation

34.57888, 40
Accuracy: Village

Airwars Assessment

Last Updated: December 15, 2024

(Previous Incident Code: S1624)

Three civilians were injured in an alleged Coalition airstrike near the village of al Sha’afa, local sources reported.

According to Sound and Picture, “vehicles carrying displaced civilians” were struck by Coalition aircraft, resulting in “a number of wounded”. This was reiterated by Marsad al Hassaka.

The Al Sha’afa Facebook page was the only source that identified the three harmed civilians as Ali al-Hihu, Musa al-Hihouh and “one of al-Fayadh’s sons“. The report stressed that “Thank God, no one died”.

One report named the ‘badia’ (desert) area as the location of the event – which would place it east of the village.

Step News reported that “Three members of the Islamic] State organization were killed in a coalition air strike targeting a car in the eastern town of Sousse # Deir al-Azur this morning.” It is not clear if this relates to the above event.

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.

Victims

Individuals

Ali al-Hihu
Adult male injured
Musa al-Hihouh
Adult male injured
Son of al-Fayadh
male injured

Key Information

Country
Military Actor
Civilian Harm Reported
Yes
Civilian Harm Status
Fair
Civilians reported injured
3

Geolocation Notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Al Sha’afa (possibly east of village) (الشعفة), for which the generic coordinates are: 34.57888, 40. 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
No Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area
Civilian deaths conceded
None
Civilian injuries conceded
None
MGRS coordinate
37SFU774280
U.S.-led Coalition Strike Report
For August 3rd, the Coalition reported that “On August 3 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted four strikes consisting of six engagements against Daesh targets. Near Abu Kamal, four strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit, and destroyed five Daesh vehicles."
U.S.-led Coalition Civilian Casualty Statement
2020-09-09
Original Source
Aug. 3, 2018, in Al Sha’afa, 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. 3176/CS1787 37SFU774280