Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

LC150

Incident date

June 12, 2019

Location

طرابلس‎, Tripoli: Salaheddin, Tripoli, Libya

Geolocation

32.824311, 13.205922 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Exact location (via Airwars) level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

In the evening of June 12th, an airstrike struck the Customs Authority building in Salaheddin neighbourhood of Tripoli. A source told the The Libya Observer that the airstrike was carried out by “an aircraft belonging to warlord Khalifa Haftar”. According to the source, the explosion caused damage to nearby houses and injured several civilians, among whom were a man, a woman and her two children. One child was reported to be in critical condition.

An on-the-ground investigation by Amnesty International later said: “Another LNA air strike on 12 June 2019 targeted a very large house – owned by the Qreira family, in the final stages of being built, and located near a military camp – injuring a woman and a man in two adjacent homes. The woman, Hawa Jibril, told Amnesty International:

‘I was at home alone with my two daughters, aged 10 and 11. At about 6.30 or 7pm an air strike hit a field behind our house which is being built next to our home where we are living. I got scared and took my girls and run to the gate, to go out, but just as we got to the gate there was another massive strike on our house, the one which is being built, and the force of the blast threw us against the gate. Luckily my girls were not injured as I had wrapped myself around them. I smashed my face against the gate and broke my front teeth and sustained injuries all over my face and the eye, and all over my body, my back, my legs and arms. Now I have not yet recovered and my girls are still very traumatised, especially the younger one. Our neighbour was also injured but luckily less seriously.’

Fragments recovered by Amnesty International investigators at the scene of the strike on the civilian home confirm that the weapon was an unguided French SAMP 250kg bomb.”

The incident occured at approximately 7:00 pm local time.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    4
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Libyan National Army

Sources (6) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Video showing damage caused by an airstrike that struck nearby on June 12th (via the Libya Observer). Audio Translation: "As a result of the shelling that took place outside, the force of the explosion harmed the family inside this house, resulting in material damage and injury, wounding the mother and her two children "An old man was also seriously injured by the indiscriminate bombardment of another house in the neighborhood” a fighter from the volcano of Rage operations said. "

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the customs authority building in Salaheddin, The coordinates for the customs authority building are: 32.824311 13.205922

Libyan National Army Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Libyan National Army
  • Libyan National Army position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    4
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Libyan National Army

Sources (6) [ collapse]