Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

LC259

Incident date

December 24, 2019

Location

Fruit and Vegetable Market, Tripoli, Libya

Geolocation

32.812567, 13.375425 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Exact location (via Airwars) level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Airstrikes most likely by the LNA or UAE in the vicinity of Bi’r Al Austa Milad road, Tajoura 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. To that, the “‘volcano anger’ operation attributed the bombing to the General Command’s warplanes, but stated that the number of victims reached four people, including a child, as well as injuries and major damage to a number of cars, according to what came on its page on the Facebook site. It was not possible to independently verify this information.”

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)

Ahmed Ali Al-Farjani
Age unknown male injured
Haitham Ali Al-Farjani
Age unknown male injured

Family members (3)

Al-Siddiq Mohammed Al-Mazoughi
Age unknown male injured
Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq Al-Mazoughi
Age unknown male injured
Fouad Abu Bakr Al-Mazoughi
Age unknown male injured

The victims were named as:

Mohamed Salem Abu Janah
Adult male killed
Fatima Ali Al-Tarshani
Adult female killed
Aisha Saad Abdullah
Adult female killed
Mohamed Mohamed Aburawi
Adult male injured
Moataz Abd Al Mawla Ma’al
Age unknown male injured
Ismail Ibrahim Faraj
Age unknown male injured
Mukhtar Muhammad Noah
Age unknown male injured
Shafiq Al-Taher
Age unknown male injured
Taha Ramadan Al-Maamari
Age unknown male injured
Khaled Ramadan Al-Rajhi
Age unknown male injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3 – 4
  • (1 child2 women1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    12
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attackers
    Libyan National Army, United Arab Emirates Military

Sources (12) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (19) [ collapse]

  • Damage following a reportedly lethal December 24th 2019 LNA/ UAE strike on Bi’r Al Austa Milad, Tajoura’ (via al Wasat News)
  • Damage following a reportedly lethal December 24th 2019 LNA/ UAE strike on Bi’r Al Austa Milad, Tajoura’ (via al Wasat News)
  • 'Airstrike by Haftar air force kills civilians in Tajoura' December 24th 2019
  • A car destroyed in a reported LNA strike on Tajoura on December 24th 2019 (via Libya Observer)
  • Aftermath of a lethal air or drone strike which killed up to 4 civilians at Tajoura on December 24th 2019 (via 218 TV News)
  • Aftermath of a lethal air or drone strike which killed up to 4 civilians at Tajoura on December 24th 2019 (via 218 TV News)
  • Aftermath of a lethal air or drone strike which killed up to 4 civilians at Tajoura on December 24th 2019 (via 218 TV News)
  • Aftermath of a lethal air or drone strike which killed up to 4 civilians at Tajoura on December 24th 2019 (via 218 TV News)
  • Aftermath of a lethal air or drone strike which killed up to 4 civilians at Tajoura on December 24th 2019 (via 218 TV News)
  • Aftermath of a lethal air or drone strike which killed up to 4 civilians at Tajoura on December 24th 2019 (via 218 TV News)
  • Aftermath of a lethal air or drone strike which killed up to 4 civilians at Tajoura on December 24th 2019 (via 218 TV News)
  • Aftermath of a lethal air or drone strike which killed up to 4 civilians at Tajoura on December 24th 2019 (via 218 TV News)
  • Aftermath of a lethal air or drone strike which killed up to 4 civilians at Tajoura on December 24th 2019 (via al Ahrar News)
  • Aftermath of a lethal air or drone strike which killed up to 4 civilians at Tajoura on December 24th 2019 (via al Ahrar News)
  • Aftermath of a lethal air or drone strike which killed up to 4 civilians at Tajoura on December 24th 2019 (via al Ahrar News)
  • Aftermath of a lethal air or drone strike which killed up to 4 civilians at Tajoura on December 24th 2019 (via al Ahrar News)
  • Aftermath of a lethal air or drone strike which killed up to 4 civilians at Tajoura on December 24th 2019 (via al Ahrar News)
  • Aftermath of a lethal air or drone strike which killed up to 4 civilians at Tajoura on December 24th 2019 (via al Ahrar News)

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.

  • Reports of the incident mention a fruit and vegetable market being struck on Bir Al Austa Milad Road (بئر الاسطى ميلاد) in Tajoura (تاجوراء‎).

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

  • Tagged audio-visual material from sources.

    Imagery:
    The Libya Observer

  • Tagged visual material from sources.

    Imagery:
    218 News

  • Tagged audio-visual material from sources.

    Imagery:
    The Libya Observer

  • Tagged audio-visual material from sources.

    Imagery:
    The Libya Observer

Libyan National Army Assessment:

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

United Arab Emirates Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    United Arab Emirates Military
  • United Arab Emirates Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3 – 4
  • (1 child2 women1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    12
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attackers
    Libyan National Army, United Arab Emirates Military

Sources (12) [ collapse]