Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CS818

Incident date

May 13, 2017

Location

يعرب, Ya'arob, Ar Raqqah, Syria

Geolocation

35.976944, 38.873056 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Six to 17 civilians were reportedly killed and as many as hundreds more wounded in the villages of Ya’rob and al Sakhoura in the western Raqqa countryside. However sources were conflicted as to whether they died in a Coalition airstrike or artillery shelling by YPG forces.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the only source thus far, alleged that the Coalition was responsible for airstrikes, but reported that there was also shelling by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) which could have been responsible for the deaths also. Most sources blamed YPG shelling.

24Raqqa put the death toll at nine but said that hundreds more were wounded.

Madar Daily put the death toll as high as 17.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (3)

Bassel Ismail Al Sukran
Age unknown male killed
Majd Ismail Al Sukran
Age unknown male killed
Bashar Ismail Al Sukran
Age unknown male killed

Family members (2)

Ibrahim Ali Al Aslan
Age unknown male
Hassan Ali Al Aslan
Age unknown male

The victims were named as:

Ali Al Awwad Al Huweija
Age unknown male killed
The wife of Ammar Khalaf Al Khawija
Age unknown female killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6 – 17
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–200
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attacker
    US-led Coalition

Sources (22) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Ali Al Awwad al Huweija (via Raqqa Truth)
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
    No Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • Stated location
    near Ya’aroub, Syria
    Nearest population center
  • Location accuracy
    100 m
  • MGRS coordinate
    37SDV886830
    Military Grid Reference System

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Jan 25, 2018
  • 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

US-led Coalition

For May 12th- 13th the Coalition reported: “Near Raqqah, five strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed two fighting positions, a front-end loader, an ISIS crane, and a house-born improvised explosive device.”

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6 – 17
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–200
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attacker
    US-led Coalition

Sources (22) [ collapse]