Airwars assessment
The Director of the Euphrates Dam and two other staff members died in an alleged Coalition airstrike or incoming SDF fire at the scene, according to local sources.
Baladi reported that “the director of the Euphrates Dam and his technical assistant were killed and a number of other technicians were injured as a result of air strikes by international Coalition aircraft which targeted them as they entered the dam building for maintenance operations on Monday.”
Orient News added that the technical staff had been sent by IS to carry out emergency maintenance following a previous bombing of the dam by the Coalition. A local ceasefire was supposed to have been in place to allow the work.
Media activist Mhaab Nasser stated that “the director and his assistants are civilians and are not affiliated with Islamic state, as some rumors justifying the Coalition action claim.”
Euphrates Post reported that the victims died when “they tried to enter the dam for maintenance work during the truce which was announced by the militia of the SDF.” The head of the technical workshop, Ibrahim Khader, told Smart News that “the dam is now out of service, in the absence of electricity to operate turbines and discharge water.” Smart added: “One of the engineers working in the dam, Ahmed Khalaf, said the risk of collapse was still present because of the high water level.
Former workers in the Euphrates dam called for ‘urgent action to avoid a disaster caused by its collapse, based on photographs and information obtained showing the damage of some of the technical units operating the dam.’”
The Shaam News Network added that following the strike, IS used loud speakers to warn civilians of the imminent collapse of the dam, advising them to leave the cit temporarily.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
- Ahmed Hussein Adult male killed
- Hasan Al Khalaf Adult male Ahmed Hussein's technical assistant killed
- Firas al-Hussein Adult male “a former employee of the Red Crescent in the city”. killed
Summary
Sources (19) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (13) [ collapse]
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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 27th-28th: “Near Ar Raqqa, five strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units; and destroyed eight barges, a vehicle, a front-end loader, and a truck and trailer” and “Near Tabqah, five strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units; and destroyed a front-end loader and a vehicle.”