Incident Code

CS1932

Location

الزر, Al Zer, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Airwars Assessment

Last Updated: December 15, 2024

Two unidentified men were killed by an alleged drone strike from the International Coalition in the morning of September 19th, according to local sources.

It is unclear whether these were civilians. Several sources claimed the men were masked and riding a motorcycle when they were hit by an airstrike, which Euphrates Post believed to have been a drone strike.

Activists told Smart news that it was not possible to identify the victims because their bodies were burned, but were  “most likely to be two members of the Islamic State”.

Ain Hasaka claimed that activists later revealed the identity of one of the dead as  Abboud al-Fahad, a close relative of ISIS leader Hammam al-Tayyana.

In its monthly civilian casualty report for October 2019 – published on December 5th of the same year – the US-led Coalition assessed this event as ‘non credible’, noting: “46. September 19, 2019, in Al-Zur, 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. 2779/CS1932 37SFU310880”.

The Coalition published a location for the assessment identifying to within 100 metres the area where it had focused its review.

Victims

Invidivuals

Adult male a close relative of ISIS leader Hammam al-Tayyana killed

Key Information

Country
Military Actor
Strike Type
Airstrike
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
0–2

Geolocation Notes

Reports of the incident mention a strike on a motorcycle within the village of Al Zer (الزر), for which the exact coordinates are: 35.125156, 40.433489

Reports of the incident mention a strike on a motorcycle within the village of Al Zer (الزر)

Imagery: Google Earth

Satellite image with objects present in audiovisual material from sources

Imagery: Google Earth

Stitched panorama image with objects present in audiovisual material from sources

Imagery: DeirEzzor24

Imagery: DeirEzzor24

Staircase from other sources tagged in a video taken after the strike

Imagery: Euphrates Post

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-Zur, Syria
Location accuracy
100 m
MGRS coordinate
37SFU310880
U.S.-led Coalition Civilian Casualty Statement
2018-12-05
Original Source
46. September 19, 2019, in Al-Zur, 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. 2779/CS1932 37SFU310880

Media From Sources (6)