Airwars assessment
Two civilians died and six others were injured in an alleged Coalition airstrike on Raqqa, according to a single source, the Smart news agency.
Smart reported that “a local source, who preferred not to be named, said that the warplanes – likely belonging to the international coalition – launched three raids on the city, targeting the court, the al thakana neighbourhood, the Land Bank and the area around Imam al-Nawawi mosque.
“The medical source reported the death of two civilians and the injury of six others – some seriously – who were taken to the National Hospital of Raqqa. The injured included a child who was hit by shrapnel in the groin.”
The local time of the incident is unknown.
Summary
Sources (1) [ collapse]
Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]
Reports of the incident mention the Land Bank (البنك العقاري), the area near Imam al-Nawai Mosque (الإمام النووي) and Al Thakana neighbourhood. The coordinates for the Land Bank (البنك العقاري) are: 35.952613, 39.008061. The coordinates for Imam Al Nawai Mosque (الإمام النووي) are: 35.956327, 38.999390. The coordinates for Al Thakana are: 35.9478905, 39.0067863.
Attached to this civilian harm incident is the Pentagon's declassified assessment of this civilian harm allegation, obtained by Azmat Khan and the New York Times through Freedom of Information requests and lawsuits filed since March 2017, 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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The report contains insufficient information of the time, location and details to assess its credibility.
Original strike reports
For February 17th-18th, the Coalition reported: “Near Ar Raqqah, seven strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units; destroyed 70 oil barrels, three oil storage tanks, three fighting positions, two oil refinement stills and a weapons storage area; and damaged a bridge.” For February 18th-19th, they reported: “Near Ar Raqqah, 10 strikes engaged seven ISIS tactical units and destroyed four oil storage tanks, three fighting positions, two ISIS-held buildings, two vehicles, a weapons cache, an oil refinement still and a communications station.” For February 19th-20th, they reported: “Near Ar Raqqah, eight strikes engaged five ISIS tactical units and destroyed two ISIS headquarters, a vehicle, a command and control node, a VBIED, a VBIED facility, an artillery system, and a tunnel.”