Geolocation
Airwars assessment
A single source, the Smart news agency, reported the death of eight civilians including two children and three women in an alleged artillery and/ or airstrike on the Second neighbourhood in Tabaqa.
According to Smart, “On Friday evening [March 24th], an artillery bombardment by the Syrian Democratic Forces took place in the town of Al-Tabaqa. Coalition forces raided al-Sad square in the same neighborhood and surrounded the Al-Hakimi mosque in the second district. Eight civilians were killed, including three women and two children. Seven more were wounded.”
No further details are currently available.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention the town of Tabaqah (الثورة), for which the generic coordinates are: 35.8295049, 38.5360909. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.
Summary
Sources (1) [ 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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The report contains insufficient information of the time, location and details to assess its credibility.
Original strike reports
For March 25th-26th: “Near Ar Raqqah, four strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units; destroyed a fighting position, a tactical vehicle, and a mortar system; and damaged a supply rout” and “Near Tabqah, nine strikes engaged five ISIS tactical units; destroyed nine fighting positions, an improvised weapons facility, and a weapons factory; and damaged a supply route.”