Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CS572

Incident date

March 12, 2017

Location

الأحوس, Al Ahwas, Raqqa, Syria

Airwars assessment

One civilian doctor died and several others were injured in an alleged Coalition airstrike on Al Ahwas village, according to local sources.

Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently reported that “Abdallah A’fadli was killed following coalition raids on al Ahwas village”. VDC also named him as a victim.

Fourat al Wafa also blamed the Coalition and named “Dr. Abdallah Afadli” as a victim.

According to Al Manar, “a doctor was killed after Coalition aircraft targeted his clinic in Al Ahwas”.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Adult male Doctor killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition

Sources (6) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Translation: raqqa - documenting the death of Dr. Abdallah Afadli following raids by the international coalition of his clinic in al Ahwas village in the eastern Raqqa countryside.
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
    No Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • Stated location
    near Al Ahwas, Syria
    Nearest population center

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Oct 27, 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 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.”

UK Military
  • English
    /
    Original

‘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.’

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition

Sources (6) [ collapse]