(Previous Incident Code: S186)

At least four and up to ten members of one family were reported killed in alleged Coalition (or possibly Russian) night time strikes on Abu Kamal.

According to the Deir Ezor Observatory there were three Coalition strikes on the city, all after midnight. And News of the Revolution reported that “International coalition planes last night carried out four raids targeting the cement factory, the Krash factory, al Sina’a [industrial area], al Hizam Al Akhdar [the green belt], and there is news of the martyrdom of an entire family.”

Free Deir Ezzor Broadcast named the victims, but said the attack was by Russia: “Khamees Said al Matar and nine members of his family were killed after warplanes targeted their house last night. The house was totally destroyed.” However the Coalition has confirmed carrying out strikes in the vicinity. The Syrian Network placed the Coalition death toll at four civilans, which it said included a woman.

The Syrian Network put the death toll at four, also naming Khamis Al Sayed Matar as well as Saeed Khamis Al Matar.

Responding to a request for clarification about possible involvement given declared UK strikes near Abu Kamal that day, the MoD told Airwars: “We cannot make any definitive assessment of possible UK presence from the evidence you have provided, but I can confirm that there was no indication of any civilian casualties in our own detailed assessments of the impact of each of our strikes over the period concerned.”

In its July 2017 monthly report the Coalition added that no civilians were harmed in the strike: “April 21, 2016, near Abu Kamal, Syria, via Airwars report: After a review of available information it was assessed that there is insufficient evidence to find that civilians were harmed in this strike.”

Based on available reports from the time, Airwars continues to class this event as fair.