Incident Code

CS242

Location

منبج, Manbij, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.5269242, 37.9559288
Accuracy: City

Airwars Assessment

Last Updated: December 15, 2024

(Previous Incident Code: S217)

Up to seven civilians from one family were reported killed in an alleged Coalition strike on Manbij, according to multiple sources.

Manbij Mother of the World placed the death toll at 7, though the Syrian Network reported that four died – including 2 children.

However a local activist (whose account is now suspended by Twitter) challenged the claim: “The news of the death of an entire family in their home near al Sharia school west of the town is a lie. There are no civilians there as some of them fled and others are taking refuge inside the city.”

In the second of their March 2020 civilian casualty reports, the US-led Coalition assessed reports that they were responsible for civilian harm in this strike as “non-credible”, stating that no Coalition actions were conducted in the geographical area at that time.

Key Information

Country
Military Actor
Civilian Harm Reported
Yes
Civilian Harm Status
Contested
Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
Civilians reported killed
4–7
2 Children

Geolocation Notes

Reports of the incident mention the city of Manbij (منبج), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.5269242, 37.9559288. 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
MGRS coordinate
37SDA065429
U.S.-led Coalition Strike Report
For June 26th-27th 2016, the Coalition reported that “Near Manbij, seven strikes struck five separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed two ISIL tunnels and damaged an ISIL fighting position and denied ISIL access to terrain.”
UK Military Strike Report
‘Monday 27 June – Typhoons provided close air support to Syrian democratic forces fighting in Manbij…On Monday 27 June, while Royal Air Force Tornado GR4s conducted reconnaissance missions to gather intelligence on Daesh activity, Typhoon FGR4s and Reaper remotely piloted aircraft provided support to both Syrian democratic forces and Iraqi units. The same day, in Syria, a pair of Typhoons conducted a successful attack with Paveway IV guided bombs against a Daesh strongpoint on the south-western outskirts of Manbij.’
U.S.-led Coalition Civilian Casualty Statement
2020-03-25
Original Source
June 27, 2016, in Manbij, 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. 2983/CS242 37SDA065429

Media From Sources (1)