Geolocation
Airwars assessment
Up to nine civilians were alleged to have died and 14 others injured in a unuilateral US cruise missile strike on Shoa’yrat airfield, according to local sources – though the combatant status of some or all victims is uncertain.
The state news agency Sana reported: “Nine civilians, including four children, were killed by a number of rockets fired by the United States at dawn today on houses in a number of villages in the south-eastern Homs countryside.” The source said that two missiles which had targeted a Syrian Air Force base instead struck “the village of Shoa’yrat causing the deaths of five civilians, including three children, in addition to the destruction of homes.” It added that a US missile was also fired on “the village of Hamarat, killing four civilians, including a child, while seven civilians were injured when a rocket hit houses in the center of the village of Manzul, about four km from the air base.” The BBC, citing the Sana report, giving the same figures.
HMC published a video in which Activist Mohammed al-Sibai, spokesman for the Homs Media Center, was asked how accurate the allegations were. He said that there were no civilians in the area because it’s a military zone.
Syrian News Center also said that nine civilians died in the strike, as did RT who cited Sana.
Nady Homs published a list of victims and said that six of the names listed were soldiers, but the rest were civilians. The source said that the list of names was issued by Shay’rat hospital.
However, the rebel-aligned Homs Media Center told Airwars that in its assessment all the names in the document issued by the Sha’yrat hospital are of soldiers and that no civilians died.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
- Khalil Issa Ibrahim Adult male Eldorar lists him as “Brigadier General Khalil Issa Ibrahim killed
- Issa Ahmad Ali Adult male Alarabiya lists Issa Mohammed Ali as military killed
- Firas Yusuf Hamoud Adult male Eldorar lists him as a First Luitenant
- Ibrahim Al Mansour Adult male Reported as Sergeant killed
- Muhi Al Din Suheil Alisha Adult male killed
- Ali Haydar Abboud Adult male killed
- Firas Mahmoud Al-Babki Adult male Eldorar lists him as military killed
- Wael Issa Mihoub Adult male Enabbaladi lists him as military killed
- Abdel Karim Salim Jadid Adult male Colonel - Right hand broken injured
- Salem al Atrash Adult male Major - left hand broken injured
- Khaled Rahhal Adult male Shrapnel in stomach injured
- Ayman al Ahmad Adult male Shrapnel injured
- Suleiman Ali AlMohammad Adult male Sergeant, surface wound injured
- Alaa Abdul Latif Mohammad Adult male Surface wound and shrapnel injured
- Mohammad Asaad Mohammad Adult male Shrapnel injured
- Haidar Majed Hamoud Adult male Bruises injured
- Shoueib Suleiman Child male Right foot burns injured
- Samir Ahmad Sakar Adult male Right shoulder dislocated injured
- Alaa Abdel Hamid Sarem Adult male Shrapnel injured
- Ram’mah Jamil al Asaad Adult male Military aid with bruises injured
- Moussa Ismail Adult male Shrapnel injured
- Nabil Ibrahim Khalil Adult male Shrapnel injured
- Majid Khudar Yusuf Adult male Shrapnel injured
- Adnan Hasan al Ali Adult male Shrapnel injured
- Ali Mohammad Assaf Adult male Shrapnel injured
- Salman Ali Ghadir Adult male Shrapnel injured
Summary
Sources (20) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (6) [ 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
The attack was a unilateral US action in retaliation for the Syrian regime’s alleged role in a chemical weapon attack. According to the Pentagon: “At the direction of the president, U.S. forces conducted a cruise missile strike against a Syrian Air Force airfield today at about 8:40 p.m. EDT (4:40 a.m., April 7, in Syria). The strike targeted Shayrat Airfield in Homs governorate, and were in response to the Syrian government’s chemical weapons attack April 4 in Khan Sheikhoun, which killed and injured hundreds of innocent Syrian people, including women and children.