Incident Code

CS1876

Location

الشعفة, Al Shaafa town, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Geolocation

34.57888, 40.93441
Accuracy: Village

Airwars Assessment

Last Updated: December 15, 2024

(Previous Incident Code: S1751)

An alleged Coalition airstrike killed and injured a number of civilians on the morning of December 21st.

Although some sources reported that the incident took place on December 20th (when another similar incident occurred) the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights distinguished the two as separate events.

Local sources reported the killing of 27 people, mostly women and children, in addition to the wounding of dozens.

Several sources quoted the director of the Syrian Observatory, Rami Abdel Rahman, who reportedly said that “At least 27 people have been killed this morning in the village of Al Shaafa in air raids by the International Alliance, including 14 belonging to the families of militant fighters, including eight children.” It also cited a large number wounded. The additional 13 fatalities may therefore have been ISIS fighters.

In its January 2021 monthly civilian casualty report, the US-led Coalition determined this event to be ‘non credible’, asserting: “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.”

Key Information

Country
Military Actor
Strike Type
Airstrike
Strike Status
Likely strike
Civilian Harm Reported
Yes
Civilian Harm Status
Fair
Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Civilians reported killed
14–27
8 Children
Civilians reported injured
12–24

Geolocation Notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Al Shaafa town (الشعفة), for which the generic coordinates are: 34.57888, 40.93441. 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
Stated location
in al Shaafa, Syria
MGRS coordinate
37SFU774280
U.S.-led Coalition Strike Report
NOTE: In late 2019 and after 52 months, the US-led Coalition ceased reporting the dates and locations of its military actions. Between Dec. 16 and Dec. 29, CJTF-OIR conducted 469 strikes consisting of 1,001 engagements in Syria, and conducted nine strikes consisting of 14 engagements in Iraq. In Syria, 469 strikes engaged 666 ISIS tactical units, and destroyed 291 fighting positions, 153 staging areas, 67 supply routes, 27 command and control nodes, 27 petroleum oil lubricant storage facilities, 25 vehicles, 14 tunnels, 14 weapons cache, 13 improvised explosive device facilities, seven heavy weapons systems, six pieces of heavy equipment, seven buildings, five petroleum oil and lubricant tankers, five bridges, four armored vehicles, two caves, two vehicle borne improvised explosive devices, two motorcycles, two vehicle borne improvised explosive device facilities, three mortar launching sites, one boat, one barge, and one unmanned aircraft system; and damaged seven fighting positions, four staging areas, two vehicles, one armored vehicle, one command and control node and one heavy weapon system; and suppressed 70 fighting positions, 12 vehicles, 10 staging areas and one armored vehicles.
Dutch Military Strike Report
In the last 10 days of the year, 15 missions were flown. Weapons were deployed ten times and targeted ISIS fighting positions and warehouses.
French Military Strike Report
For Dec 19th-25th, France reports 13 airstrikes in Syria and 18 artillery strikes in the Euphrates Valley.
UK Military Strike Report
Friday 21 December – a Reaper engaged a group of Daesh extremists south-east of Hajin, whilst Tornados struck two workshops making IEDs...Further support was rendered on Friday 21 December by a Reaper and another flight of Tornados. The Reaper’s crew successfully used a Hellfire missile against a small group of Daesh as they moved across country, whilst the Tornados destroyed two workshops which were producing improvised explosive devices.
U.S.-led Coalition Civilian Casualty Statement
2021-01-06
Original Source
Dec. 21, 2018, in Al Shaafa, 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. 3257/CS1876 37SFU774280