Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CS436

Incident date

January 9, 2017

Location

كبش, Kabish, Raqqa, Syria

Geolocation

36.1308644, 38.7842273 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Up to three civilians died during a battle for control of Kabish. While most sources blamed SDF artillery, one claimed that the US-led Coalition was responsible for the deaths.

A single source, Eldorar, reported that three civilians died in an alleged Coalition strike on Kabish.

However according to Raqqa Post, one victim, Sadeq Qassem, was was killed in “shelling by the militias of Saleh Muslim”.

Raqqa24 blamed “violent raids” by SDF artillery for the death of one civilian.

 

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 – 3
  • 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, Syrian Democratic Forces

Sources (5) [ 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 Kabish (Raqqah), Syria
    Nearest population center
  • Location accuracy
    1 m
  • MGRS coordinate
    37SDV8058598485
    Military Grid Reference System

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Sep 29, 2017
  • The report contains insufficient information of the time, location and details to assess its credibility.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

For January 8th-9th, the Coalition reported that “Near Ar Raqqah, 15 strikes [1 British] engaged five ISIL tactical units; destroyed six oil refinement stills, three supply caches, two bridges, two artillery systems, a VBIED, a bulldozer, a UAV, an IED, a dump truck, a pontoon bridge, a tank, and an armored vehicle; and damaged a supply route. Near Ayn Isa, one strike destroyed a repeater station.”

Syrian Democratic Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Syrian Democratic Forces
  • Syrian Democratic Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 3
  • 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, Syrian Democratic Forces

Sources (5) [ collapse]