Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CS357

Incident date

November 3, 2016

Location

لقطة, Lakta, Raqqa, Syria

Geolocation

36.6265496, 38.9509964 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A man was killed when the car he was in was hit by an airstrike, according to local sources.

RBSS reported that a man named Suleiman Al Ahmad al Ghannam was killed “after his injury in an air raid launched by the international coalition on the village of Lakta in the northern Raqqa countryside.” Al Natek offered an identical account, possibly taken from RBSS.

In a later statement issued by writers in Raqqa, it was reported that “Suleiman al Ghannam had volunteered to take people with his van from areas under the control of Kurdish forces to the main road that connects Raqqa to Tal Abiyad. The front of his van was targeted by a missile from a warplane which hit the front of the vehicle, killing all sitting in the front while passengers sitting in the back including women and children survived.”

The statement – signed by more than 100 writers and journalists from the Raqqa area – called on the Coalition to ‘stop targeting civilians in the province of Raqqa and in all other areas, and open transparent investigation incidents into shelling of civilian sites by the international coalition and to hold accountable anyone found responsible.”

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Adult male killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]

  • Suleiman Al Ahmad al Ghannam (via RBSS)
  • Translation: Al Raqqa countryside: Suleiman al Ahmad al Ghannam killed yesterday following an air raid launched by the international coalition on the village of Laqta in the northern countryside.
CJTF–OIR Declassified Assessment and Press Release

Attached to this civilian harm incident is a provisional reconciliation of the Pentagon's declassified assessment of this civilian harm allegation, based on matching date and locational information.

The declassified documents were obtained by Azmat Khan and the New York Times through Freedom of Information requests and lawsuits filed since March 2017, and are included alongside the corresponding press release published by the Pentagon. Airwars is currently analysing the contents of each file, and will update our own assessments accordingly.

Declassified Assessment Press Release

US-led Coalition Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition
  • US-led Coalition position on incident
    Non credible / Unsubstantiated
    Insufficient information to assess that, more likely than not, a Coalition strike resulted in civilian casualties.
  • Reason for non-credible assessment
    No Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • Stated location
    near Lakta, Syria
    Nearest population center

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Aug 4, 2017
  • After a review of available information it was assessed that no Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area of the reported civilian casualties.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

For November 2nd-3rd, the Coalition reported “Near Ar Raqqah, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an oil pump jack and a vehicle.”

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition

Sources (5) [ collapse]