Conflict

U.S.-led Coalition in Iraq & Syria

Incident Code

CS529

Location

البارودة, Al Barouda, Raqqa, Syria

Geolocation

35.8965073, 38.8007712
Accuracy: Village

Airwars Assessment

Last Updated: December 15, 2024

(Previous Incident Code: S464)

Four civilians died and nine were injured in an alleged Coalition airstrike on al Barouda village in the western Raqqa countryside, according to two local sources.

Smart said that the wounded included women and children.

Smart’s source added that the warplanes “targeted the village despite there being no military headquarters for the organization [ISIL] there”.

Syria News Desk also pointed towards the Coalition, reporting that “the media opposition activist Mohamed Osman from the western countryside of Raqqa told Syria News Desk that four civilians were killed and seven others wounded, after midnight, due to the international coalition targeting the village with four raids”.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that there had been heavy shelling by the Coalition on the western countryside of Raqqa, but didn’t mention al Barouda village or civilian casualties.

 

Key Information

Country
Military Actor
Civilian Harm Reported
Yes
Civilian Harm Status
Fair
Civilians reported killed
4
Civilians reported injured
7–9

Geolocation Notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Al Barouda (البارودة), for which the generic coordinates are: 35.8965073, 38.8007712. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Military Statements

U.S.-led Coalition Assessment
Suspected belligerent
U.S.-led Coalition
U.S.-led Coalition position on incident
Non credible / Unsubstantiated
Reason for non-credible assessment
No Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area
Civilian deaths conceded
None
Civilian injuries conceded
None
Stated location
near Al Barouda (Raqqah), Syria
Location accuracy
1 m
MGRS coordinate
37SDV8202172488
U.S.-led Coalition Strike Report
For February 22nd – 23rd: “Near Ar Raqqah, seven strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units and an ISIS staging area and destroyed three pump jacks, a command and control node, a fighting position and a tactical vehicle.”
French Military Strike Report
[France reports carrying out 34 sorties in the last week – and 11 strikes destroying 19 ISIL targets. In Iraq, the six strikes were concentrated in the Mosul region. They targeted mortar positions, combatant groups, a logistics depot and a command center. In Syria, two ground troop support missions were carried out in the Raqqah and Deir Ezzor areas against artillery pieces and an armored vehicle, loaded with an explosive device (SVBIED). The intervention of a Rafale patrol, after detection and guidance of the ATL2, led to the destruction of 2 clandestine oil wells in the south-east of Raqqah. In the region of Palmyra, two planned strikes were carried out and enabled the neutralization of a military storage site and a vehicle-bomb manufacturing site (VBIED).Task Force Wagram carried out 28 missions]
U.S.-led Coalition Civilian Casualty Statement
2017-09-29
Original Source
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.