Incident Code

CS1842

Location

قرية الحنة, Al Hanna village, Al Hassakah, Syria

Airwars Assessment

Last Updated: December 15, 2024

(Previous Incident Code: S1716)

According to local sources, people took to the streets in demonstration after one man was killed and his two children injured or killed when shells hit their house in Al-Hanna.

Jisr TV reported it was a total of 14 shells that caused the killing of the man and the injuries of his children. According to a source reporting to Eye on Hassaka – activist Mohammed al Khader – the victims were part of the Hassan al-Khairi family. According to Mohammed, the limbs of the children were amputated as a result of the shell falling on their house.

Media activist Raed al-Haskawi told the newspaper Madar Daily that the reason for the demonstrations was the killing of an entire family in the eastern village of Al-Hanna. He claimed this was due to the fall of a rocket from US troops stationed at the Kam Al-Bulgar, an area used for training.

Syrian state media agency Sana News reported that the fall of the rocket shell on the home in Al-Hanna killed two civilians and wounded four others.

Eye on Hassaka blamed the Coalition, while Smart News blamed the SDF who were allegedly conducting military exercises with live ammunition. According to Shaam News, both the Coalition and SDF were conducting training during which a shell was fired. According to @aa_arabic, it was a mortar shell.

Euphrates Post and Beautiful Hassaka posted a different report, stating that the man Hussein al-Khairi was injured, that his hand was amputated, and that his children Bayda of 15 years old and Muhammad of 13 years old were injured by bullets from a machine gun in front of their house in the village.

In its December 2020 monthly civilian casualty report, the Coalition assessed this event as ‘non credible’, claiming that it had conducted no strikes in the geographical area which corresponded with civilian harm claims.

Victims

Family members (3)

Hussein al-Khairi
Adult male killed
Bayda
15 years old Son of Hussein injured
Muhammad
13 years old Son of Hussein injured

Key Information

Country
Military Actor
Strike Type
Artillery, Counter-Terrorism Action (Ground)
Civilian Harm Reported
Yes
Civilian Harm Status
Contested
Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
Civilians reported killed
1–2
1 Man
Civilians reported injured
2
2 Children

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
Stated location
in al Hanna, Syria
MGRS coordinate
37SFV546965
U.S.-led Coalition Strike Report
For November 19th, the Coalition publicly reported: On Nov. 19 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted six strikes consisting of nine engagements against ISIS targets. Near Hajin, six strikes destroyed five supply routes. [Note however that the reported casualties resulted from small arms fire]
U.S.-led Coalition Civilian Casualty Statement
2020-12-15
Original Source
Nov. 19, 2018, in al Hanna, 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. 3233/CS1842 37SFV546965

Media From Sources (3)