Geolocation
Airwars assessment
A number of sources reported that six non-combatants including two children died, in an alleged Coalition airstrike on a vehicle-borne IED factory in Qayyarah. The Coalition conceded the event two years later.
According to Qayyarah News at the time, the airstrike destroyed an ISIS facility which contained two vehicles already packed with explosives. The resulting detonations “led to the demolition of Ali Al Wardi’s house and the death of one of his children, as well as the death of a citizen brother of Brigadier Abdul Aziz, may God have mercy on him.”
The town’s local youth council placed the death toll at five and published the names of victims.
Between April 2016 and June 2017, reporters Azmat Khan and Anand Gopal visited the sites of nearly 150 airstrikes across northern Iraq for the New York Times.
Regarding this specific incident, they note that, “According to our reporting, the following occurred: ISIS moved in next door to the house of civilian family Ali Khallaf Abdullah Wardi. But as the Iraqi Army advanced towards Qayyarah, ISIS fled the town, burning oil wells to block visibility from the air and leaving car bombs around the town. ISIS left a car bomb at the house to the left of the Wardi residence. The family learned of the car bomb and immediately began packing up their things in order to move away from the bomb, when approximately a half an hour later, an airstrike struck the house next door, and also brought down much of the Wardi family home, killing six civilians inside and out on the street.”
Another New York Times also provided the names of the victims: Ali Khalaf al-Wardi; his 5-year-old son, Qutada; his 14-year-old daughter, Enaas; and his 18-year-old daughter, Ghofran.
In September 2018, the Coalition conceded civilian harm in this incident. Their monthly civilian casualty reported noted: “During a strike on ISIS headquarters and
fighting positions six civilians were unintentionally killed.” Whilst this incident was listed in the report as coming from a media report, Coalition officials have indicated to Airwars that it is a match to this event.
The Coalition provided Airwars with the location of this incident, accurate to within a 100 metre box.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Family members (4)
The victims were named as:
Summary
Sources (5) [ collapse]
Geolocation notes
Prior to the Coalition releasing the MGRS for this incident, Airwars had geolocated it to the nearest city at 35.7977836, 43.2935143
US-led Coalition Assessment:
Civilian casualty statements
-
August 13, 2016, near Qayyarah, Iraq, via media report. During a strike on ISIS headquarters and fighting positions six civilians were unintentionally killed.
Original strike reports
For August 12th-13th 2016, the Coaliton reported that “Near Qayyarah, two strikes destroyed two ISIL command and control nodes and an ISIL VBIED factory.”