(Previous Incident Code: S1733)

An alleged Coalition airstrike targeted a building which appeared to be in use as a Daesh prison at dawn on Wedneday November 28th. Reports on the number of civilian casualties varied widely between six and 100 civilians.

RT reported that six civilians died in the attack, whereas other sources such as Baladi News and Horrya News reported on a significant toll of 100 civilians deaths.

A media activist by the name of Zine El Abidine from Deir Ezzor told Baladi News that all the prisoners who died in the aerial bombardment were civilians from Deir Ezzor governorate, who were captured by the organization in previous years. However other sources reported that among the victims were ISIS fighters and SDF fighters as well.  

An ISIS propaganda featured interviews (whether coerced or not is unclear) with a number of men in military uniforms who the terror group said were captured SDF fighters. One said “I am military, the coalition hit us to get rid of us,” while another said “I am from the SDF military police. The Coalition hit us while we were detained by the Islamic State.”

In a Facebook post, Manarat al Furat reported that as many six ISIS fighters were killed in the attack. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on a much higher number of IS fighters killed in the attack, claiming that among the victims were 10 civilian prisoners and as many as 16 members of ISIS, while the identity of three others remained unknown.

Euphrates Post added that among the killed ISIS fighters were four leaders of the Islamic State named asn Abu Osama al-Gharib, Abu Hafs al-Dahmani, Abu Musab al-Sahrawi and Abu Yaqoub al-Maqdisi, “the former governor of research in the organization”. Euphrates Post further reported that a number of civilian detainees and SDF held prisoners were killed in the attack as well. 

As many as 50 people were also wounded in the event, according to the Official Al Shaafa Facebook page.

Some sources variously attributed this event to the towns of Sha’afa and Hajin. However most cited the al Kashma area, including ISIS’s propaganda wing Al A’amaq.