Airwars assessment
Four civilians died and three more were injured in an alleged Coalition airstrike on Kdeiran village, according to the Smart News Agency.
Step News Agency and 24Raqqa said that the Coaliton carried out raids in the vicinity, but didn’t mention civilian casualties.
In April 2019 the Coalition announced that it had classed this allegation of civilian harm as non-credible, noting: “After review of all available strike records it was determined that more likely than not civilian casualties did not occur as a result of a Coalition strike.”
The local time of the incident is unknown.
Summary
Sources (3) [ 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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May 23, 2017, near Kdeiran, Syria, via Airwars report. After review of all available strike records it was determined that more likely than not civilian casualties did not occur as a result of a Coalition strike.
Original strike reports
For May 22nd-23rd, the Coalition reported: “Near Raqqah, 13 strikes engaged 11 ISIS tactical units; destroyed 15 fighting positions, two vehicles, a weapons cache; and damaged an ISIS supply route.” It later additionally added that on May 22nd “Near Raqqah, Syria, three strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units; destroyed a fighting position, a VBIED, and a front-end loader.”
For May 23rd-24th, the Coalition reported: "Near Raqqah, three strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units; destroyed three fighting positions and a mortar system." It further added that "Near Raqqah, Syria, three strikes destroyed eight command and control nodes and destroyed a VBIED facility."