Airwars assessment
In a previously unreported incident, the US admitted six months later that it had killed four civilians in an attack on Raqqa, noting that “June 23, 2016, near Ar Raqqah, Syria, during a strike against an ISIL-held building, it is assessed that four civilians were killed after entering the target area after the aircraft released its weapon.“
However, in their April 30 2017 report, the Coalition discounted their credible assessment, stating: “June 21, 2016, near Ar Raqqah, Syria: Number 12 and 13 on the Nov. 9, 2016, U.S. Central Command press release were both based on the same report. The actual assessment was that on June 21, 2016, near Ar Raqqah, during a strike on an ISIS headquarters four civilians were unintentionally killed.”
The credible assessment that they refer to on June 21, 2016 is CS237.
According to the Shaam News Network, “Coalition planes launched raids on al Dalla roundabout and the area of the electricity company in Raqqa which led to civilian deaths and injuries.”
Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently reported that Bemo Bank, a six-storey-building, was destroyed in a Coalition strike.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
Summary
Sources (9) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]
US-led Coalition Assessment:
Civilian casualty statements
-
during a strike against an ISIL-held building, it is assessed that four civilians were killed after entering the target area after the aircraft released its weapon.
-
June 21, 2016, near Ar Raqqah, Syria: Number 12 and 13 on the Nov. 9, 2016, U.S. Central Command press release were both based on the same report. The actual assessment was that on June 21, 2016, near Ar Raqqah, during a strike on an ISIS headquarters four civilians were unintentionally killed.
Original strike reports
For June 22nd-23rd 2016, the Coalition noted at the time that “Near Ar Raqqah, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and an ISIL-used bridge and destroyed an ISIL vehicle.”
‘Thursday 23 June – A Reaper struck a further target north of Bayji, Typhoons attacked terrorist positions in northern Syria and Fallujah…A second Reaper continued support in the area [Bayji] into Thursday 23 June and used a Hellfire missile to eliminate a terrorist spotted with a man portable surface-to-air missile. Typhoons continued their support over Fallujah as well, conducting a Paveway IV attack on a machine-gun team. Another Typhoon flight operated over northern Syria, close to the Turkish border and destroyed two Daesh-held buildings several miles east of Azaz.’