Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

CS893

Incident date

May 30, 2017

Location

السكرية, Sukariya, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Geolocation

34.471667, 40.911111 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Up to three civilians including one child died in an alleged Coalition airstrike on Sukariya, according to local media.

Sources said that a Coalition raid hit a middle school on the outskirts of the town. According to Sharqiya Voice, a child was left with “minor injuries”. However, Aghiad_alkheder and @soundandpic – which also blamed the Coalition for the strike – reported that a child died.

Baladi made no mention of a strike on a school, but reported that the Coalition targeted a checkpoint, killing “two people and wounding several others”. It did not say whether the two victims were civilians or not

Free Syria Media Office reported that two members of IS were killed in a Coalition airstrike and a nearby child was also wounded.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Sukariya (السكرية), for which the generic coordinates are: 34.471667, 40.911111. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Summary

  • Infrastructure
    Education
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0 – 3
  • (0–1 children)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–3
  • 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 (11) [ 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
    No Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • Stated location
    near Sukariya, Syria
    Nearest population center
  • Location accuracy
    100 m
  • MGRS coordinate
    37SFU755161
    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 29th-30th, the Coalition reported: “Near Dayr Az Zawr, four strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed four ISIS well heads, an ISIS oil storage tank, an ISIS oil tanker truck, and a vehicle.“
For May 30th-31st, the Coalition reported: "Near Dayr Az Zawr, one strike destroyed an ISIS well head."

Summary

  • Infrastructure
    Education
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0 – 3
  • (0–1 children)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–3
  • 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 (11) [ collapse]