Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CS576

Incident date

March 15, 2017

Location

جديدة خابور, Jadida Khabour, Raqqa, Syria

Geolocation

35.855278, 39.419167 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Five civilians including two women died in an alleged Coalition airstrike on Jadida Khabour village in eastern Raqqa, according to local sources.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported: “a man and a woman were killed and there was information about another woman who was killed in bombing by Coalition planes on areas in Jadida Khabour”.

The victims were named as Khabour Al-Mohammed Al-Khabour and his wife, and another woman: Houriya Al-Abdullah Al-Teef Al-Habbal. However a local tweeter claimed that Mr al-Khabour was only wounded.

Al Raqqa Truth named two further victims of a Coalition strike.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Khabour Al-Mohammed Al-Khabour
Adult male
Houriya Al-Abdullah Al-Teef Al-Habbal
Adult female killed
Hamad al Zoueikh
Adult killed
Ahmad al Hanoush
Adult killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • (2 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • 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 (10) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Tweet from @saad_alsabr claiming that Khabour Mohammed Al-Khabour was wounded and his wife Houriya Abdullah Al-buhabbal was killed due to coalition warplanes shellings in Al-Durwasha east of Raqqa.
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 Jadida Khabour, 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 14th-15th: “Near Ar Raqqah, eight strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units and destroyed six fighting positions, two mortar systems, an ammunition cache, an ISIS-held building, and a weapons cache.”
For March 15th-16th: "Near Ar Raqqah, eight strikes engaged six ISIS tactical units and destroyed three fighting positions, a vehicle, an ISIS-held building, and an oil refinement still."

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • (2 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • 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 (10) [ collapse]