Incident Code

CS1808

Location

السوسة, Al Soussa, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Geolocation

34.528889, 40.9675
Accuracy: Village

Airwars Assessment

Last Updated: December 15, 2024

(Previous Incident Code: S1670)

A named adult civilian male was reported killed by Coalition shellling at al Soussa, in an attack which also was said to have killed five ISIS fighters.

Radio al Kul and a number of other sources noted only the deaths of the ISIS fighters. According to Syrian PC one of them was a high value target: “One of the leaders of Daesh was killed after an air strike of the international coalition targeted the town of Sousse coinciding with battles between Daesh and the Syrian democratic forces there. The leader of the organization of Daesh Okba Nafi Al Haj Hamed, who decanted from the town of Abu Kamal to the town of Sousse, was killed by an air strike carried out by warplanes.”

The civilian victim was named by the Syrian Network, al Soussa village’s Facebook page and others as Abdullah Saleh Al Haji Mohammed al Mhaimed. Baladi News said he died when a shell landed on his home.

In the second 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 the allegation provided insufficient information on the timing and location of the strike to make a determination.

Victims

Invidivuals

Abdullah Saleh Al Haji Mohammed al Mhaimed
Adult male killed

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
1
1 Man

Geolocation Notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Al Soussa (السوسة), for which the generic coordinates are: 34.528889, 40.9675. 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 information on the time and location
Civilian deaths conceded
None
Civilian injuries conceded
None
MGRS coordinate
37SFU805225
U.S.-led Coalition Strike Report
"On Oct. 12 in Syria, coalition military forces conducted 36 strikes consisting of 56 engagements against ISIS targets. Near Abu Kamal, 36 strikes [2-3 British] engaged 15 tactical units, and destroyed 20 fighting positions, five mortars, four staging areas, one tunnel, and one assembly area site."
UK Military Strike Report
‘Friday 12 October – Tornados struck a Daesh tunnel and a defended building in eastern Syria, whilst Typhoons destroyed an armed truck…A Daesh armed truck was spotted north-east of Abu Kamal on Friday 12 October, and was destroyed by a direct hit from a Paveway IV dropped by a Typhoon flight. A pair of Tornados conducted one attack through thick cloud, striking a tunnel – again to the north-east of Abu Kamal – then delivered a second successful attack with two Paveways against a Daesh-held building near Hajin.’
French Military Strike Report
For October 10-16th, France report that the three CAESAR guns of Task Force Wagram carried out, from Iraqi territory, 28 firing missions (lighting, smoke, harassment, destruction). Aircraft made 18 sorties and carried out two airstrikes, north of Abu Kamal in Syria. Totals for Iraq and Syria since Sept 19th 2014: 8564 sorties, 1464 strikes, 2256 targets ‘neutralised’.
Dutch Military Strike Report
For the week of 11th – 17th October, Dutch F-16s supported ground troops during nine missions. Weapons were deployed four times, in Deir Ezzor governorate, in the vicinity of Hajin, and Abu Kamal. ISIS weapons were the target.
U.S.-led Coalition Civilian Casualty Statement
2020-09-09
Original Source
Oct. 12, 2018, in Al Soussa, Syria, via Airwars report. The report contains insufficient information on time, location, or details to assess its credibility. 3197/CS1808 37SFU805225

Media From Sources (1)