Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CS872

Incident date

May 27, 2017

Location

المنصورة, Al Mansoura, Raqqa, Syria

Geolocation

35.83917, 38.74288 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

At least two detainees were reportedly killed in a suspected Coalition air raid.

Local reports said that a group of prisoners being held by ISIL in Mansoura were killed or injured by Coalition airstrikes on the prison. Several outlets, including Raqqa is Being Silently Slaughtered (RBSS) put the death toll at two. Al Araby said three died.

Tabaqa Media Centre and Alragga Truth identified one of the civilian detainees. The Violations Documentation Center named the other victim; Azouz Askar al Obaid al Ashour from Sukhna Homs. According to RBSS, he was arrested a not long before the airstrike on charges of photographing the house of a relative after it had been destroyed by an airstrike. No further details are currently available.

In its December 2017 civilian casualty report, the Coalition confirmed that “During a Coalition strike which destroyed an ISIS headquarters building it was assessed the three civilians were unintentionally killed.” However officials have refused to provide co-ordinates for the event, meaning that we cannot presently determine whether this was incident S763; S765; S766; S767; S768 or perhaps a new event.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Hussein Hamoud Al-Shaheen
Adult male killed
Azouz Askar al Obaid al Ashour
Adult male from Sukhna Homs killed

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Al Mansoura (المنصورة), for which the generic coordinates are: 35.83917, 38.74288. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 3
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition

Sources (20) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Hussein Hamoud Al-Shaheen, one of the detainees who was killed in an alleged Coalition airstrike on May 27th, 2017 (via Alraqqah Truth posted May 29th, 2017).
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 Al Mansoura, Syria
    Nearest population center
  • Location accuracy
    100 m
  • MGRS coordinate
    37SEV013787
    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 26th-27th, the Coalition reported: “Near Raqqah, 12 strikes engaged 11 ISIS tactical units; destroyed seven vehicles, five fighting positions, three tunnels, an ISIS headquarters and an ISIS staging area.“
For May 27th-28th, the Coalition reported: "Near Raqqah, 15 strikes engaged eight ISIS tactical units; destroyed six fighting positions, three ISIS headquarters, an ISIS staging area and a VBIED." For May 27th it added that "Near Raqqah, Syria, three strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit; destroyed a six fighting positions, an ISIS-held building and a weapons cache."

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 3
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition

Sources (20) [ collapse]