Geolocation
Airwars assessment
An ISIL leader and his family died in an alleged Coalition strike in Kasrat Al Faraj, according to local sources.
According to the Smart news agency, “local and medical sources told Smart that an Islamic State commander and his family were killed in an aerial bombardment likely carried out by the international coalition on the village of Kasrat al Faraj”. Smart added: “The Iraqi was killed with his wife and his son, pointing out that their charred bodies were transferred to the National Hospital of the city, to be buried later.”
Other sources also blamed the Coalition, with Syri Scope naming the ISIL leader as Attiyat allah al Iraqi. Reports said that the Coalition targeted the car the victims were travelling in.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
Summary
Sources (5) [ 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 it was assessed that no Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area that correspond to the report of civilian casualties.
Original strike reports
For March 11th-12th: “Near Ar Raqqah, 12 strikes, engaged three ISIS tactical units and two ISIS staging areas; destroyed three fighting positions, two tanker trucks, a weapons storage facility, a well head, an ISIS-held building, and an anti-air artillery system; and damaged two bridges.”
‘Sunday 12 March – Tornados bombed a large Daesh headquarters in Syria, just south of Raqqa, while Typhoons destroyed a Mosul strongpoint…On Sunday 12 March, Tornados armed with Enhanced Paveway II weapons conducted a carefully planned strike on a large Daesh headquarters in Syria, situated a couple of miles south of Raqqa. The attack had to be delivered through heavy cloud, but both of the target buildings were destroyed by direct hits. Support to the Mosul operation also continued, with Typhoons demolishing a strong-point which the Iraqi forces had encountered during their advance.’