Geolocation
Airwars assessment
One woman died in an alleged Coalition airstrike on Al Wasat Street in Tabaqa, according to local media.
According to Manartv and Al Ahed one person died and others were injured in a Coalition strike.
According to Orient, “Activists said that Coalition aircraft launched several air raids on Friday on the Al Qariya area in the city of the Tabaqa, causing the death of a martyr and a number of casualties”
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]
The coordinates for Al Qarya neighbourhood (منطقة القریة) are 35.837778, 38.551111. We are unable to geolocate Al Wasat street (شارع الوسط).
Summary
Sources (17) [ 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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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
For April 20th-21st, the Coalition reported: “Near Tabqah, eight strikes engaged six ISIS tactical units and destroyed two fighting positions, a command and control node, and an ISIS staging area.”
For April 21st-22nd, the Coalition reported: “Near Tabqah, eight strikes engaged five ISIS tactical units and destroyed three fighting positions, an ISIS vehicle and a command and control node."
Thursday 20 April – Typhoons supported Syrian Democratic Forces, striking a Daesh-held building north-west of Raqqa, and a mortar team hiding in a tunnel in the east of the country… The RAF is continuing to support Iraqi forces in their effort to liberate western Mosul. While the operating environment in the city is very challenging, particularly given the closely-packed buildings, very narrow streets, and the density of the urban population, our aircrew have continued to deliver precision strikes in close support of Iraqi troops on the ground. Daesh’s current tactics, including the illegal use of civilians as human shields, and fighting from sites such as schools, hospitals, religious sites and civilian neighbourhoods, increases the risk to innocent life. While no military operations come without risk, particularly in dense urban environments and against such inhuman Daesh tactics, the RAF continues to take all steps necessary to minimise civilian causalities. The RAF assisted Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Thursday 20 April. A pair of Typhoons struck a Daesh-held building to the north-west of Raqqa. The Typhoons then hit a Daesh mortar team hiding in a tunnel in the east of the country.’