Geolocation
Airwars assessment
At least one man was killed, another person was injured, and four people were arrested in an alleged Coalition airstrike and Syrian Democratic Forces ground operation in Fenijin on November 8, 2021. The status of the man killed and the person injured as a civilian is contested by local sources.
Zaman Al Wasl quoted local activists who reported that Coalition airplanes carried out an airstrike on a home in Fenijin, followed by a raid by the “Democratic Union” (Syrian Democratic Forces), which resulted in the death of one person and the injury of others. They quoted Asayiş, the security arm of the Democratic Union Party, said in a statement that clashes erupted during the operation, during which one person was killed, another member of the cell was wounded, and 4 others were arrested. Asayiş alleges that the operation was carried out against an ISIS sell that intended to launch an attack on a prison.
The Syrian Press Agency reported that the Coalition airstrike and SDF raid occurred in the Abu Hasan Badia, west of the monastery, and resulted in a person named “Madlool Al-Adas” being killed. Jisr’s correspondent differed in their reporting, stating that the raid was on the home of Madlool but that the raiding forces “killed the young man, “Jassem Hammadi Al-Adas”, tied him and photographed him.
According to Furat Al Wehda, SDF forces surrounded the village and “stormed it amid heavy gunfire and supported them in air surveillance and live fire on the homes of the residents, helicopters belonging to the American occupation”.
A tweet from @VOSyria_ reported that a civilian was killed in the operation and Syrian Arab News Agency, the Syrian regime-run news agency, identified two civilians as being killed in the operations in Al Sabha and Fenijil but does not specify within these incidents. However, the majority of other sources did not identify whether the victim was a civilian or combatant and only Zaman Al Wasl specifically referred to those killed and injured as members of an ISIS cell.
In a civilian casualty assessment released November 3, 2023, the Coalition classed this event as ‘non credible’, claiming that “Based on a thorough review of all available information, it was determined that any potentially corroborating operation affected only legitimate military targets, with no civilian casualties.”
The incident occured around dawn.
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention the village of Fenijil (فنيجين), for which the generic coordinates are: 35.896421, 39.904919. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.
Summary
Sources (16) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]
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A photo of Jassem Hammadi Al-Adas, killed in a Coalition/SDF operation in the village of Fenijil on November 8, 2021. (Image posted by @YusufAd76532779)
US-led Coalition Assessment:
Civilian casualty statements
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November 08, 2021, near Fenijin, Syria, via Airwars report. Based on a thorough review of all available information, it was determined that any potentially corroborating operation affected only legitimate military targets, with no civilian casualties. 3316/CS1971 37SEV8166572838