Geolocation
Airwars assessment
One to two civilian members of an Islamic State family were killed in an alleged Coalition airstrike on the Al Akrad neighbourhood of Raqqa city, local media reported.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, “A local source in the city of Al-Raqqa said raids likely carried out by the Coalition targeted the Al Akrad neighborhood, which was recently evacuated by the organization [IS] and taken as a first line of defense from the northern side of the city. The raids killed one man and one woman and injured six others from the families of IS who did not leave the neighborhood.” Smart News published an identical report.
Arabs Today also reported the death of a man in a Coalition strike. However, it said that “six other members of the organization [IS) who did not leave the neighborhood” were also injured, suggesting that the combatant status of the wounded was uncertain.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
Summary
Sources (3) [ collapse]
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 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 21st-22nd: the Coalition stated: “Near Ar Raqqah, 18 strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and an ISIS staging area; destroyed four command and control nodes, three tanker trucks, three ISIS-held buildings, an oil storage tank, a VBIED, an ISIS headquarters, a fighting position, and an ISIS media facility; and damaged four supply routes.”