Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CS785

Incident date

May 8, 2017

Location

كديران, Kdeiran, Raqqa, Syria

Geolocation

35.877429, 38.719676 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that “warplanes believed to belong to the International Coalition bombed places in the Kdieran area which is located in the western countryside of al-Raqqa. There is information about casualties and damage to the property of the citizens.”

Both Qasioun and Sohaib_heskayi reported the Coalition “destroyed the Al-Hamdawi mosque” but didn’t mention civilian casualties.

In January 2019, the Coalition announced that it had classed the event as non credible due to a lack of available evidence of civilian harm: “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.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition

Sources (4) [ collapse]

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
  • Stated location
    near Kdeiran, Syria
    Nearest population center
  • Location accuracy
    100 m
  • MGRS coordinate
    37SDV749704
    Military Grid Reference System

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Jan 31, 2019
  • May 8, 2017, near Kdeiran, Syria via Airwars report. 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.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition

Sources (4) [ collapse]