Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CS687

Incident date

April 12, 2017

Location

الهزيمة, Al Hazima, Raqqa, Syria

Geolocation

36.1320519, 38.9661026 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Two families died in an incident at Al Hazimah, according to local sources – though reports are conflicted as to whether they died in Coalition airstrikes or artillery strikes by other forces.

SY reporter said that a family and a doctor were killed and blamed the Coalition.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that “a doctor was martyred in addition to the martyrdom of his brother and four members of their families following a bombardment of areas in the town of Hazima in the northern countryside of Ar Raqqah”

However, @spm_Syria blamed “artillery shelling by separatist forces on a town”, while Alaraby said that shelling by the SDF was responsible.

@i3ub2Z7eMKR5LDB pointed towards “Kurdish militias”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (1)

Mustafa Qasim (and family)
Age unknown male killed

The victims were named as:

Ahmed Al Qasim
Adult male Doctor killed

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Al Hazima (الهزيمة), for which the coordinates are: 36.1320519, 38.9661026, in the northern countryside of Raqqa governorate.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5 – 6
  • (4 children2 men)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition

Sources (18) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • Ahmad Al-Qasim and his family, killed in alleged Coalition or Kurdish militia strikes on Hazima, April 12th (via RBBS)
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
    Insufficient evidence of civilian harm
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • Stated location
    near Hazima, Syria
    Nearest population center
  • Location accuracy
    100 m
  • MGRS coordinate
    37SDV967987
    Military Grid Reference System

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Jun 28, 2018
  • After a review of available information and strike video it was assessed that there is insufficient evidence to find civilians were harmed in this strike.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

For April 11th-12th, the Coalition reported: “Near Raqqa, eight strikes engaged an ISIS staging area, weapons storage cache, and command and control node.”

For April 12th-13th, the Coalition reported: “Near Raqqa seven strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units and destroyed a vehicle and a fighting position.”

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5 – 6
  • (4 children2 men)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition

Sources (18) [ collapse]