Geolocation
Airwars assessment
Two civilians were killed – including a girl and a man – and others were wounded, following an airstrike on a bakery and a falafel restaurant in Raqqa, according to local sources. Sources were conflicted regarding who was to blame, some blaming the US led Coalition, and others blaming Russian warplanes. The Coalition later denied responsibility.
According to Raqqa 24, “Coalition planes targeted al Andalus bakery as well as the area behind al Rawda restaurant in al Majma’ street”. Baladi also attributed the incident to the Coalition. Additionally, Al Haal reported that “planes thought to belong to the coalition bombs a bakery and a restaurant in Raqqa.”
According to a source the bakery was rendered inoperable.
Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently reported that “warplanes” – it didn’t identify them – carried out raids at midnight striking the following locations in Raqqa: Al Amir restaurant opposite the Health Care building, and Al Andalus bakery on Tal Abiyad street. It said two civilians died in the raid on the bakery including a child and a bakery worker.
Many sources also claimed that residential buildings were destroyed in the raid.
The man who died was allegedly a baker who worked at Al Andalus bakery. It is worth noting that the man died on the 15th due to wounds sustained in an airstrike. Although the reporting does not mention where he sustained wounds, Airwars researchers and assessors have determined as he was from Palmyra (the same town as the other victim) and there were few other strikes in the vicinity at this time, he was wounded in the attack on the bakery.
One source reported that members of Daesh were allegedly injured in the raid.
In a video interviewing civilians from Raqqa, one man says “this is the crusader planes.. Look what he’s done.. They’ve destroyed buildings, they’re destroying people, they’re destroying Muslims. We here are Muslims. They have struck a whole building.” Another says “they’re hitting a bakery. This is people’s livelihood”. According to Airwars researchers this is an ISIS propaganda video.
On March 4th – in a reference to this event – the Coalition reported: “Jan. 12, 2017, near Raqqah, Syria, via NGO report: After a review of available information it was assessed that no Coalition strikes were conducted on that day in the geographic area of the reported civilian casualties.”
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention the city of Tal abyad Street, Ar Raqqa ( شارع تل أبيض), for which the generic coordinates are: 35.9505639, 39.0094148. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.
Summary
Sources (22) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (9) [ collapse]
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Rimas Mohammad Mirwah, aged three, killed in an airstrike on a bakery in Raqqa, Jan12/13th. Sources blamed both the Coalition and Russia (via RBSS)
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Rimas Mohamad Abdullah Merwah (via RBSS)
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Aftermath of the airstrike (via RBSS)
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Aftermath of the airstrike (via RBSS)
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Aftermath of the airstrike (via RBSS)
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Aftermath of the airstrike (via RBSS)
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Aftermath of the airstrike (via RBSS)
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Aftermath of the airstrike (via RBSS)
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Aftermath of the airstrike (via RBSS)
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.
US-led Coalition Assessment:
Civilian casualty statements
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After a review of available information it was assessed that no Coalition strikes were conducted on that day in the geographic area of the reported civilian casualties.
Original strike reports
For January 12th-13th the Coalition reported: “Near Ar Raqqah, 11 strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed 30 oil refinement stills, six fighting positions, three oil tanker trailers, an ISIL headquarters, a weapons cache and an oil well headand”.