Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CS668

Incident date

April 7, 2017

Location

حمرة غانم, Hamra Ghanem, Raqqa, Syria

Geolocation

35.9375, 39.144167 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Between five and seven civilians – five from the same family including one or two women and three children – died in an alleged Coalition airstrike on Hamra Ghanem, according to local sources.

Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently reported the death of five civilians in a Coalition strike on “the house of Bashir Yusuf Sultan in the village of Hamra Ghanem”.

Smart put the death toll at seven with ten others wounded. JisirTv reported: “Coalition warplanes committed a massacre killing a family of five: mother father and their three children after targeting their house in Hamra Ghanem in the northern countryside of Raqqa. Others were wounded. The main reason for these massacres is that SDF gives the wrong coordinations to the coalition.”

In July 2019 the Coalition announced that it had assessed this allegation of civilian harm to be non-credible. Their monthly civilian casualty report noted “After a review of all available records it was determined that, more likely than not, civilian casualties did not occur as a result of a Coalition action.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (6)

Moaied Bashir Yusuf Sultan
killed
Hassan Bashir Yusuf Sultan
killed
Tharaa Bashir Yusuf Sultan
killed
Ahmed Bashir Yusuf Sultan
killed
The wife of Ahmed Bashir Yusuf Sultan
Adult female injured
Wife of Hassan al – Bashir
Adult female injured

The victims were named as:

Khadija Sheikh Issa
Adult female killed

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Hamra Ghanem (حمرة غانم), for which the generic coordinates are: 35.9375, 39.144167. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5 – 7
  • (3 children1–2 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    4–10
  • 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 (28) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]

  • The house of Bashir Yusuf Sultan, Hamra Ghanem, where five family members died in a reported Coalition strike April 7th 2017 (via Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently)
  • The house of Bashir Yusuf Sultan, Hamra Ghanem, where five family members died in a reported Coalition strike April 7th 2017 (via Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently)
  • The house of Bashir Yusuf Sultan, Hamra Ghanem, where five family members died in a reported Coalition strike April 7th 2017 (via Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently)
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
    Other
  • Stated location
    in Hamra Ghanem, Syria
    Nearest population center
  • Location accuracy
    100 m
  • MGRS coordinate
    37SEV130770
    Military Grid Reference System

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Jul 26, 2019
  • Apr. 7, 2017, in Hamra Ghanem, Syria, via Airwars report. After a review of all available records it was determined that, more likely than not, civilian casualties did not occur as a result of a Coalition action.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

For April 6th-7th, the Coalition reported: “Near Ar Raqqah, four strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units; and destroyed four fighting positions and a tactical vehicle.”
For April 7th-8th, the Coalition did not report any airstrikes near Ar Raqqah.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5 – 7
  • (3 children1–2 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    4–10
  • 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 (28) [ collapse]