Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CS370

Incident date

November 11, 2016

Location

خنيز جنوبي, Khaniz Janoubi, Raqqa, Syria

Airwars assessment

A reported Coalition airstrike on an ISIL ‘police facility’ also killed a named civilian non-combatant.

According to Raqqa is Being Slaughtered, Ali al Awwad al Rahil died when his home was struck during the raid. However a local media activist claimed he died as a result of “YPG Kurdish militia targeting of his home while he was there.” The Syrian Observatory blamed both air and ground actions.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Age unknown male killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected belligerents
    US-led Coalition, Unknown

Sources (6) [ collapse]

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
    Insufficient information on the time and location
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • Stated location
    near Khaniz Janoubi, Syria
    Nearest population center

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Aug 4, 2017
  • The report contained insufficient information of the time, location and details to assess its credibility.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

For November 10th-11th 2016, the Coalition reported: “Near Ar Raqqah, one strike destroyed three ISIL oil production machines and an oil storage tank. Near Ayn Isa, 11 strikes engaged five ISIL tactical units; and destroyed three fighting positions, two vehicles, a command and control node, a storage facility, a heavy weapons system, a bulldozer; and damaged three supply routes and a tunnel system.”

Unknown Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Unknown
  • Unknown position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected belligerents
    US-led Coalition, Unknown

Sources (6) [ collapse]