Geolocation
Airwars assessment
Between four and five civilians died and another six were wounded in Coalition airstrikes and an artillery bombardment on Raqqa, according to local sources.
According to Shaam, “Violent battles continue in and around the city of Raqqa between the state organization [IS] and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), during which the SDF was able to control the Romanian quarter and parts of the industrial district. The Romanian quarter is the second neighborhood to be controlled after the Mashbal district. The armed forces carried out air strikes on the city of Raqqa and its environs in the midst of heavy artillery shelling, which resulted in the deaths of many of the martyrs and wounded among the civilians.”
Euphrates Post reported “heavy artillery shells, in conjunction with air raids targeting the northern outskirts of the city”, while other sources mentioned both US artillery and “YPG artillery”.
Baladi said that the SDF targeted a building on 23rd February Street, with “sources indicating three martyrs from one family and a fourth unidentified.” However, the Coalition has confirmed that only it was conducting artillery strikes on the city in this period.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
Summary
Sources (14) [ collapse]
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.
US-led Coalition Assessment:
Civilian casualty statements
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After a review of available information and strike video it was assessed that there is insufficient evidence to find civilians were harmed in this strike.
Original strike reports
For June 10th-11th, the Coalition reported: “Near Raqqah, 17 strikes engaged 15 ISIS tactical units and destroyed six fighting positions, four vehicles, two ISIS front-end loaders, two ISIS headquarters, an ISIS UAS and an ISIS barge.”
It additionally reported that “On June 10, near Raqqah, Syria, 11 strikes engaged 9 ISIS tactical units; destroyed eight fighting positions, a tunnel, a weapons storage facility, and a command and control node; damaged an ISIS factory; and suppressed a sniper.”
For June 11th-12th, it reported: "Near Raqqah, 23 strikes [2 British] engaged 20 ISIS tactical units; destroyed 16 fighting positions, two vehicles, and two ISIS boats; damaged five ISIS supply routes; and suppressed an ISIS tactical unit."
'(...) A second Tornado flight, and two pairs of Typhoons, operated the same day over Raqqa. Paveway IVs accounted for four sniper positions and a Daesh-held building, while a simultaneous attack with two Brimstones eliminated two firing points in a building on the western edge of the city.’
On the 15/6-17, the French MoD reported: "In the past week, France reports his 31 sorties, 28 of which were Armed Reconnaissance or Ground Support (CAS) and 3 were intelligence gathering. Two strikes were conducted by French planes in Iraq and Syria, one in the west of Raqqah city, and the other in the Al Qaim region, both against ISIL fighters. Task Force Wagram carried out 80 artillery strikes in Mosul."
Cette semaine, les aéronefs de l’opération Chammal ont réalisé 31 sorties aériennes dont 28 de reconnaissance armée ou d’appui au sol (CAS) et 3 de recueil de renseignements. 2 frappes ont été conduites par les avions français en Irak et en Syrie, l’une à l’Ouest de la ville de Raqqah, et l’autre dans la région d’Al Qaim, toutes deux contre des combattants de Daech