Airwars assessment
In an alleged civilian casualty event not previously tracked by Airwars, the Coalition announced in June 2017 that it had assessed a reported event near Raqqa as Non Credible, based on an assessment of video evidence.
According to the June report “Feb. 14, 2017, near Raqqah, Syria, via social media report: After a review of available information and strike video it was assessed that no civilians were harmed in this strike.”
The Coalition provided the following coordinates to Airwars to help identify the location of the allegation: 37SEV 00730 78734. This showed the alleged event to be south east of the Al Firdous mosque in central Raqqa.
Local media reported that the Coalition struck the “governorate building in the centre of Raqqa”, which had reportedly been turned into a prison by ISIS.
According to the Step News Agency, “the fate of the detainees in the building is still unknown, stressing the killing of a large number of members of the organization in the bombing that targeted the building.”
The local time of the incident is unknown.
Summary
Sources (9) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (4) [ collapse]
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 and strike video it was assessed that no civilians were harmed in this strike.
Original strike reports
For February 13th-14th the Coalition stated that “Near Ar Raqqah, 15 strikes engaged nine ISIS tactical units; destroyed 13 fighting positions, a tactical vehicle, and an ISIS headquarters; damaged three supply routes, and a bridge; and suppressed an ISIS tactical unit.”