Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CS518

Incident date

February 21, 2017

Location

فتاتيش, Al Fatatish, Raqqa, Syria

Geolocation

36.083889, 39.8225 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Between two and nine civilians died and dozens more were injured in an airstrike/artillery bombardment on Fatatish village in the eastern Raqqa coountryside, according to local sources – though reports are conflicted as to whether the deaths were caused by Coalition jets or shelling in the ares by the SDF and Kurdish militias.

The media activist Abdel-Karim Al-Yousef’s told ARA News “This evening, in the village of Fattatish in the eastern countryside, there was a Coalition aerial bombardment – three raids – that killed eight people and injured others.”

Euphrates Post also blamed the Coalition putting the death toll at nine with dozens more wounded.

However, Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently reported “a massacre leaving eight civilian martyrs in raids by Kurdish militias and the international Coalition”.

Asharqiya Voice said that “SDF militias targeted Fatatish with artillery”.

Smart news agency, however, reported that “likely” Coalition warplanes killed two non-combatants – and injured 11 more – while six others were killed in SDF shelling.

A report by Raqqa Post blamed Saleh Muslim [kurdish] militias.

 

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Al Fatatish (فتاتيش), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.083889, 39.8225. 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
    2 – 9
  • Civilians reported injured
    11–24
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition

Sources (16) [ 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
    a:1:{i:0;s:20:"no_coalition_strikes";}
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • Stated location
    near Fatatish (Raqqah), Syria
    Nearest population center

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Sep 29, 2017
  • After a review of available information it was assessed that no Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area that correspond to the report of civilian casualties.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

For February 20th-21st, the Coalition reported: “Near Ar Raqqah, seven strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units; destroyed three fighting positions, a VBIED, a garage, an IED and a weapons facility; and damaged a bridge.”

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 9
  • Civilians reported injured
    11–24
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition

Sources (16) [ collapse]