Airwars assessment
A unilateral US airstrike on a Fatah al Sham leader may also have killed up to three members of his immediate family.
The Syrian Observatory initially reported that “an unidentified plane – it’s not clear whether international coalition or Russian – targeted a car carrying several people near the town of Batabo in the western countryside of Aleppo, killing 3 people, whose identities are not yet known.”
It later emerged that Fatah al Sham leader Abu Afghan al Masri – described as the group’s legal [sharia] expert – was the target. According to All 4 Syria a second man named as Abu Sahib al Libnani also died with a third unknown person. A Pentagon statement later noted: “U.S. forces conducted a precision airstrike near Sarmada, Syria, on Nov. 18 that killed Abu Afghan al-Masri, a senior al-Qaeda in Syria leader.“
However, Al Jazeera reported that al Masri’s wife and daughter died with him in the car.
In their monthly civilian casualty reports, the US-led Coalition has indicated that the credibility of this civilian harm allegation is in the process of being assessed.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Family members (2)
- Abu Afghan al Masri's wife Age unknown female killed
- Abu Afghan al Masri's daughter Age unknown female killed
Summary
Sources (6) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]
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US-led Coalition Assessment:
Original strike reports
For November 18th-19th, the Coalition reported: “Near Tamakh, one strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle.”