Airwars assessment
At least 4 civilians including 3 children and their father were killed and up to eight others were wounded in alleged Coalition airstrikes in Al Dir’iya, west of Raqqa city, local sources reported.
Ahmad al Shibli, Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights all alleged that the Coalition was responsible.
Smart News Agency put the death toll at five with eight more wounded, in what it said was “believed to be” a Coalition strike.
Raqqa Post and Baladi news reported that four civilians died and blamed the Coalition; Al Araby put the death toll at 5 and they too blamed the Coalition.
ISIL-linked al A’maq released a video showing a destroyed house and said four members of one family were killed.
Syria Mirror reported a death toll of 6 and said that ten were wounded.
Al Ragga Truth reported that Ahmad Mohammad Al Jumaa and three members of his family were killed and blamed the Coalition.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights, again pointing at the Coalition, said that three children and their father died.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Family members (4)
- Ahmad Mohammad Al Jumaa Adult male killed
- Child Mohammad Al Jumaa Child killed
- Child Mohammad Al Jumaa Child killed
- Child Mohammad Al Jumaa Child killed
Summary
Sources (17) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (1) [ 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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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
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 also later noted that “Near Raqqah, Syria, three strikes destroyed eight command and control nodes and destroyed a VBIED facility” and that “Near Raqqah, Syria, May 23, two strikes destroyed three command and control nodes.”
For May 24th-25th, the Coalition reported"Near Raqqah, 15 strikes [1 British] engaged 12 ISIS tactical units; and destroyed five fighting positions, four ISIS dump trucks, four vehicles, two artillery systems, a front-end loader, and a weapons cache." It added that "Near Raqqah, Syria, May 23, two strikes destroyed three command and control nodes." And "Near Raqqah, Syria, May 24, four strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit; destroyed six fighting positions, a mortar system, and a vehicle."
"Wednesday 24 May – a Reaper attacked near Raqqa, whilst Tornados prosecuted four Daesh targets in Mosul…A Reaper, conducting surveillance south-west of Raqqa on Wednesday 24 May, kept watch on a small group of terrorists and was able to conduct a successful attack with a Hellfire missile. In Mosul, when advancing Iraqi security forces found themselves facing two buildings defended by a Daesh heavy machine-gun, a sniper team and at least one individual in a suicide-bomb vest, they called for assistance from a flight of Tornados. Our aircraft delivered a very precise simultaneous attack with two Paveway IVs which destroyed both terrorist strongpoints. The Tornados then hit a third terrorist position, again with a Paveway, whilst a second flight bombed a fourth position."