Geolocation
Airwars assessment
On Tuesday, December 24, 2019, drone or artillery strikes, reportedly conducted by the Libyan National Army or the United Arab Emirates in the vicinity of Bi’r Al Austa Milad road, Tajoura, Libya, killed up to four civilians including two women and injured 12 other non-combatants according to local reports. A vegetable market and civilian cars were amongst the objects struck.
Al Wasat News reported that “Today, Tuesday, the ambulance and emergency services announced the death of a citizen and the injury of another, in a shell that landed in Bi’r Al-Austa Milad area, Tajoura city.”
Al Wasat also reported that its sources record the number of victims as four people, including a child, as well as injuries. This source also reported major damage to a number of cars. Multiple sources shared images of destroyed cars.
The Center for Field Medicine and Support identified the names of the victims killed and injured in the incident. The individuals identified as killed were Fatima Ali Al-Tarshani, Aisha Saad Abdullah and Mohamed Salem Abu Janah. Their ages are unknown.
FMSC identified 12 individuals injured in the incident. Ahmed Ali Al-Farjani and his brother Haitham Ali Al-Farjani were injured in the incident. Another family unit, likely a grandfather, son and grandson were also injured: Al-Siddiq Mohammed Al-Mazoughi, Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq Al-Mazoughi and Fouad Abu Bakr Al-Mazoughi.
This source also identified the following people, all of whom are male, as injured in the incident. Moataz Abd Al Mawla Ma’al, Ismail Ibrahim Faraj, Mukhtar Muhammad Noah, Shafiq Al-Taher, Taha Ramadan Al-Maamari and Khaled Ramadan Al-Rajhi.
All ages of the individuals above are unknown.
The Libya Observer claimed the attack was conducted by a UAE drone, noting that “Warlord Khalifa Haftar’s UAE-backed air force militia conducts a drone strike on a residential area in Bir Austa Milad district in Tajoura, eastern Tripoli, killing and wounding a number of civilians”. It also published a video in which witnesses said that both a marketplace and civilian cars were struck in the attack.
The Observer also later noted that “The spokesman for the Health Ministry, Fawzi Awnis, has confirmed that four people have been killed and ten others injured due airstrikes by warplanes backing up Khalifa Haftar’s forces on Tajoura in eastern Tripoli.”
218 TV said that three civilians had died with 12 injured: “The Center for Field Medicine and Support announced that 3 people were killed and more than 12 others wounded today, Tuesday, by shells falling in the Bir al-Osta Milad area, in Tajoura, east of Tripoli. The center said on its Facebook page, that one of his teams went to the area after receiving a report of the shells falling, to show the dead and wounded. The center pointed out that a family of a child and his parents had been transferred from the Kaddour clinic to a nearby clinic to complete their treatment. The Center stated that the shelling caused material losses, including wounding the homes of citizens living near the place, and several cars and a vegetable market.”
Al Ahrar initially reported four civilians killed, though later updated this to 12: “The Center for Field Medicine and Support confirms that the death toll of the Hafter Aviation Massacre in Tajoura has risen to 12 civilians”. However this appeared to conflate dead and injured, with FMSC naming three fatalities – two of them women – and twelve injuries.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Family members (2)
Family members (3)
The victims were named as:
Geolocation notes (5) [ collapse]
Reports of the incident mention a fruit and vegetable market being struck on Bir Al Austa Milad Road (بئر الاسطى ميلاد) in Tajoura (تاجوراء). Analyzing audio-visual material from sources, we have narrowed the location down to these exact coordinates: 32.812567, 13.375425.
Summary
Sources (12) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (19) [ collapse]
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Damage following a reportedly lethal December 24th 2019 LNA/ UAE strike on Bi’r Al Austa Milad, Tajoura’ (via al Wasat News)
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Damage following a reportedly lethal December 24th 2019 LNA/ UAE strike on Bi’r Al Austa Milad, Tajoura’ (via al Wasat News)
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A car destroyed in a reported LNA strike on Tajoura on December 24th 2019 (via Libya Observer)
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Aftermath of a lethal air or drone strike which killed up to 4 civilians at Tajoura on December 24th 2019 (via 218 TV News)
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Aftermath of a lethal air or drone strike which killed up to 4 civilians at Tajoura on December 24th 2019 (via 218 TV News)
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Aftermath of a lethal air or drone strike which killed up to 4 civilians at Tajoura on December 24th 2019 (via 218 TV News)
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Aftermath of a lethal air or drone strike which killed up to 4 civilians at Tajoura on December 24th 2019 (via 218 TV News)
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Aftermath of a lethal air or drone strike which killed up to 4 civilians at Tajoura on December 24th 2019 (via 218 TV News)
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Aftermath of a lethal air or drone strike which killed up to 4 civilians at Tajoura on December 24th 2019 (via 218 TV News)
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Aftermath of a lethal air or drone strike which killed up to 4 civilians at Tajoura on December 24th 2019 (via 218 TV News)
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Aftermath of a lethal air or drone strike which killed up to 4 civilians at Tajoura on December 24th 2019 (via 218 TV News)
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Aftermath of a lethal air or drone strike which killed up to 4 civilians at Tajoura on December 24th 2019 (via al Ahrar News)
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Aftermath of a lethal air or drone strike which killed up to 4 civilians at Tajoura on December 24th 2019 (via al Ahrar News)
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Aftermath of a lethal air or drone strike which killed up to 4 civilians at Tajoura on December 24th 2019 (via al Ahrar News)
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Aftermath of a lethal air or drone strike which killed up to 4 civilians at Tajoura on December 24th 2019 (via al Ahrar News)
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Aftermath of a lethal air or drone strike which killed up to 4 civilians at Tajoura on December 24th 2019 (via al Ahrar News)
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Aftermath of a lethal air or drone strike which killed up to 4 civilians at Tajoura on December 24th 2019 (via al Ahrar News)