Airwars assessment
Five civilians were reported killed and eight or more injured following reported Coalition strikes at Zor Shamr and Kasrat Sheikh Juma’a.
According to the Smart news agency, which also pointed towards the Coalition, “sources explained that the planes bombed the villages of Zor Shamr (45 km east of Raqqa city) and Kasrat Sheikh Juma’a (8 km southwest of Raqqa city), killing five civilians and wounding eight others, including women and children, who were taken to the national hospital in al Tabaqa.”
The local time of the incident is unknown.
Summary
Sources (3) [ collapse]
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention the villages of Zor Shamer (45 km east of Raqqa) and Kasrat Sheikh Jum’a (8 km west of Raqqa). The coordinates for Zor Shamr are: 35.78379, 39.36559. The coordinates Kasrat Sheikh Jum’a ( كسرة شیخ جمعة ) are: 35.905278, 38.963889.
Attached to this civilian harm incident is the Pentagon's declassified assessment of this civilian harm allegation, obtained by Azmat Khan and the New York Times through Freedom of Information requests and lawsuits filed since March 2017, 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 and strike video it was assessed that there is insufficient evidence to find that civilians were harmed in this strike.
Original strike reports
For March 17th-18th, the Coalition reported that “Near Ar Raqqah, five strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units, destroyed three fighting positions, two ISIS tactical vehicles, and an ISIS weapons factory; and damaged a bridge.”