Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CS497

Incident date

February 16, 2017

Location

مزرعة تشرين, Tishreen Farms, Raqqa, Syria

Geolocation

36.132398, 38.869372 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A reported airstrike at Tishreen Farms killed up to 22 non-combatants, according to reports. Both Russia and the Coalition were blamed, though the latter denied responsibility.

Asharqiya Voice reported the deaths of 10 people, while Raqqa is Being Slaughtered described “a massacre against 14 civilians after Coalition planes bomb Tishreen farm north of Raqqa.”

Smart said that “the warplanes launched raids on the areas of Kabish Sharqi and Tishreen farms which killed eight civilians and injured 14 others including 5 who were critically injured.”

However, Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently later appeared to change their position and reported that this was a Russian strike, killing 14 non-combatants.

The Brigade of Raqqa’s Rebels and Arkhamis al Arabi also blamed Russia.

According to Syria news desk to “22 civilians were killed, including seven members of one family, and more than 30 others injured, at noon today, due to the international targeting the village of Tishreen farm with six raids”.

Euphrates Post published a video showing “long range winged rockets fired by Russian bombers on targets in the city of Raqqa.”

In its June 2017 report the Coalition denied responsibility: “5. Feb. 16, 2017, near Raqqah, Syria, via social media report: No Coalition strikes were conducted on that day in the geographic area of the reported civilian casualties. The closest strike to the report of possible civilian casualties was 4 km away.”

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (1)

Age unknown male Killed with two of his children killed

The victims were named as:

Age unknown male killed

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Tishreen Farms (مزرعة تشرين), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.132398, 38.869372. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3 – 22
  • (1–5 children1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    30
  • 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, Russian Military

Sources (26) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (4) [ collapse]

  • Translation: raqqa - international coalition planes commit a massacre killing more than 14 civilians after bombings tishreen farm north of the city with several air raids.
  • Translation: media office of the brigade of Raqqa’s rebels - raqqa - 14 martyred after Russian enemy raids on a market in Tishreen farm in northern raqqa.
  • Translation: coalition planes commit a massacre killing 14 civilians after bombing commercial shops near the bakery in Tishreen farm west of Hazima north of raqqa.
  • Translation: it wasn’t the coalition who committed the massacre in raqqa at dawn today but Russian has confessed to the massacre that left dozens of victims after Tishreen farm was targeted.
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 evidence of civilian harm
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • Stated location
    near Tishreen Farm, near Raqqah, Syria
    Nearest population center

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Jan 25, 2018
  • After a review of available information and strike video it was assessed that there is insufficient evidence to find that civilians were harmed in this strike.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

For February 16th-17th it noted: “Near Ar Raqqah, 17 strikes engaged two ISIS staging areas and an ISIS tactical unit; and destroyed four tunnels, three fighting positions, three ISIS-held buildings, two weapons storage areas, two ISIS headquarters, a VBIED storage facility, a fuel station and a bridge.”

French Military
  • English
    /
    Original

[France reports that over the last week they carried out 32 sorties and seven strikes destroying seven ISIL targets. five strikes were in the Mosul and Sinjar region andtwo were in the Raqqa region of Syria. Strikes targeted ISIL fighters and shooting positions. After two months of presence and operational missions in Operation Chammal, the two Rafales, deployed as reinforcements, left the Middle East. The number of French Rafale deployed in Operation Chammal, has now returned to 12.]

‘Chammal APPRECIATION DE SITUATION Sur l’ensemble du théâtre du Levant, la situation a peu évolué, au sens géographique du terme, cette semaine. En Irak, la phase de sécurisation de Mossoul Est se poursuit et les forces de sécurisation se réarticulent pour libérer l’Ouest de Mossoul. Néanmoins, Daech continue de les harceler et durcit encore ses défenses dans la partie occidentale de la ville. La capitale irakienne reste plongée dans une situation sécuritaire difficile en raison des attentats perpétrés. En Syrie, les forces démocratiques syriennes ont progressé, notamment dans la partie Nord-Est de Raqqah. À Al Bab, le recul de Daech se poursuit au sein même de la ville même si la complexité des interactions entre protagonistes représente toujours un frein aux avancées tactiques. ACTIVITES DE LA FORCE CHAMMAL Appui aérien Cette semaine, alors que la pause opérationnelle générée par la phase de sécurisation de Mossoul-Est se poursuit, les aéronefs ont réalisé 32 sorties aériennes dont 30 de reconnaissance armée ou d’appui au sol (CAS), et 2 de recueil de renseignement. 7 frappes ont été réalisées pour détruire 7 objectifs, dont 5 en Irak dans la région de Mossoul et de Sinjar, et 2 en Syrie dans la région de Raqqah. Les frappes ont ciblé des groupes de combattants, des positions de tir ou des pick-up de Daech. Après deux mois de présence et de missions opérationnelles au sein de l’opération Chammal, les deux Rafale de l’armée de l’air, déployés en renfort sur la base de Jordanie pendant la période d’absence de porte-avions, sont rentrés en métropole. Le nombre de Rafale français déployés en opération Chammal, est désormais revenu à 12 chasseurs. Appui artillerie : Depuis ses deux emprises au Nord et au sud de Mossoul, la TF Wagram a été largement sollicitée cette semaine avec près de 25 missions d’appuis réalisées. Depuis son emprise près de Mossoul, les artilleurs ont appuyé les troupes irakiennes pour des missions d’éclairement destinées à gêner les mouvements de Daech et les tentatives de franchissement du Tigre ou des missions d’interdiction et de destruction contre des positions ennemies. Depuis Qayyarah, la TF Wagram a conduit 11 missions d’éclairement afin de harceler les positions ennemies et faciliter l’action des Forces irakiennes dans la région de la poche d’Hawijah.’

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3 – 22
  • (1–5 children1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    30
  • 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, Russian Military

Sources (26) [ collapse]