Incident Code

CS1883

Location

السوسة, Al Soussa: Al Khalafaa mosque area, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Geolocation

34.528889, 40.9675
Accuracy: Village

Airwars Assessment

Last Updated: December 15, 2024

(Previous Incident Code: S1758)

Local sources reported that one man was killed in an air or artillery strike in Al Soussa while he was leaving Friday prayers.

While only the Coalition was known to be conducting airstrikes on the town at this time, Deir Ezzor 24 instead blamed regime artillery strikes.

According to Hajin Magazine, “We have received the news of the martyrdom of Hajj Mohammed Saeed Almansour. He was martyred by an airstrike on Al Soussa while he was leaving Friday prayers.”

Deir Ezzor 24 instead reported the following: “The killing of Mohammed Saeed Mansour Al-Khatiri by the artillery shelling from Assad forces, which targeted the vicinity of # Al-Khalafaa mosque in the town of # Al-Shafa east of Deir Al-Zour.”

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

Invidivuals

Mohammed Saeed Almansour
Adult male killed

Key Information

Country
Strike Type
Airstrike and/or Artillery
Strike Status
Contested strike
Civilian Harm Reported
Yes
Civilian Harm Status
Contested
Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Civilians reported killed
1
1 Man

Geolocation Notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Al Soussa: Al Khalafaa mosque area (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
No Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area
Civilian deaths conceded
None
Civilian injuries conceded
None
Stated location
in al Soussa, Syria
MGRS coordinate
37SFU805225
U.S.-led Coalition Strike Report
Between Dec. 30, 2018 and Jan. 12, 2019, CJTF-OIR conducted 575 strikes consisting of 1,147 engagements in Syria. In Syria, 575 strikes engaged 485 ISIS tactical units, and destroyed 308 staging areas, 220 fighting positions, 105 mortar, rocket and artillery systems, 57 supply routes, 50 manufacturing facilities for improvised explosive device and vehicle borne improvised explosive device, 31 command and control nodes, 26 vehicles, 19 weapons caches, 18 mortar launching sites, 18 petroleum oil and lubricant storage facilities, 11 heavy and light weapon systems, eight reservoirs and tankers for petroleum oil and lubricants, eight pieces of heavy equipment, seven vehicle borne improvised explosive devices, six tunnels and caves, four buildings, two unmanned aircraft systems, one weapons facility, one logistics hub and one fuel storage.
French Military Strike Report
For Jan 2-8, France report that task Force Wagram carried out 28 missions of which 12 were strikes. Meanwhile aircraft conducted two strikes in support of the SDF.
U.S.-led Coalition Civilian Casualty Statement
2020-12-15
Original Source
Jan. 4, 2019, in al Soussa, 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. 3261/CS1883 37SFU805225

Media From Sources (1)