US-led Coalition in Iraq & Syria

US-led Coalition in Iraq & Syria

Civilians in the ruins of Mosul city. (Maranie R. Staab)

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US-led Coalition
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Iraq
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Incident Code

CI602

Incident date

April 3, 2017

Location

الموصل: غرب/الجانب الأيمن, Mosul, Farouk and Makawi, Nineveh, Iraq

Geolocation

36.336843, 43.117979 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Local sources reported that up to 23 civilians were killed and 24 injured in airstrikes on Mashahade, Yarmouk, Farouk, and Tanak neighbourhoods in West Mosul and Old Mosul.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    23
  • Civilians reported injured
    24
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    US-led Coalition, Iraq Government Forces

Sources (4) [ collapse]

CJTF–OIR Declassified Assessment and Press Release

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.

Declassified Assessment Press Release

US-led Coalition Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition
  • US-led Coalition position on incident
    Non credible / Unsubstantiated
    Insufficient information to assess that, more likely than not, a Coalition strike resulted in civilian casualties.
  • Reason for non-credible assessment
    Insufficient evidence of civilian harm
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • Stated location
    near west Mosul
    Nearest population center

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Dec 28, 2017

  • After a review of available information and strike video it was assessed that there is insufficient evidence to find that civilians were harmed in this strike. (1278)

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition
Official source

For April 2nd-3rd the Coalition publicly reported that: “Near Mosul, five strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units; destroyed a fighting position, a mortar system, and a rocket-propelled grenade system; damaged three fighting positions, two supply routes, and a supply cache; and suppressed eight ISIS mortar teams and four ISIS tactical units.”

Iraq Government Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Iraq Government Forces
  • Iraq Government Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    23
  • Civilians reported injured
    24
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    US-led Coalition, Iraq Government Forces

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Incident Code

CI634

Incident date

April 12, 2017

Location

عنه, Anah, Anbar, Iraq

Geolocation

34.372699, 41.986442 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

In an incident not previously tracked by Airwars, the Coalition later denied a social media claim that it had caused civilian casualties at Anah.

According to its June report “April 12, 2017, near Annah, Iraq, via social media: No Coalition strikes were conducted on that day in the geographic area of the reported civilian casualties.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Discounted
    Those killed were combatants, or other parties most likely responsible.
  • Suspected attacker
    US-led Coalition

Sources (1) [ collapse]

CJTF–OIR Declassified Assessment and Press Release

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.

Declassified Assessment Press Release

US-led Coalition Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition
  • US-led Coalition position on incident
    Non credible / Unsubstantiated
    Insufficient information to assess that, more likely than not, a Coalition strike resulted in civilian casualties.
  • Reason for non-credible assessment
    No Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • Stated location
    near Anah, Iraq
    Nearest population center

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Jun 2, 2017

  • No Coalition strikes were conducted on that day in the geographic area of the reported civilian casualties.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition
Official source

For April 11th-12th the Coalition publicly reported no strikes in Anbar province

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Discounted
    Those killed were combatants, or other parties most likely responsible.
  • Suspected attacker
    US-led Coalition

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Incident Code

CI667

Incident date

April 26, 2017

Location

الحويجة, Hawijah, Kirkuk, Iraq

Geolocation

35.3240179, 43.77335 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

In its July 2017 civilian casualty report, the Coalition denied involvement in an incident that it said had been reported on social media. In its report, the Coalition wrote: “April 26, 2017, near Hawija, Iraq, via social media report: No Coalition strikes were conducted on that day in the geographic area of the reported civilian casualties.”

Airwars had previously been unaware of such an allegation.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Civilians reported injured
    0–1
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Discounted
    Those killed were combatants, or other parties most likely responsible.
  • Suspected attacker
    US-led Coalition

Sources (1) [ collapse]

CJTF–OIR Declassified Assessment and Press Release

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.

Declassified Assessment Press Release

US-led Coalition Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition
  • US-led Coalition position on incident
    Non credible / Unsubstantiated
    Insufficient information to assess that, more likely than not, a Coalition strike resulted in civilian casualties.
  • Reason for non-credible assessment
    No Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • Stated location
    near Hawijah, Iraq
    Nearest population center

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Jul 7, 2017

  • No Coalition strikes were conducted on that day in the geographic area of the reported civilian casualties.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition
Official source

For April 25th-26th, the Coalition reported: “Near Kirkuk, one strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a command and control node.”

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Civilians reported injured
    0–1
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Discounted
    Those killed were combatants, or other parties most likely responsible.
  • Suspected attacker
    US-led Coalition

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Incident Code

CI701

Incident date

May 9, 2017

Location

عنة والقائم, Al Qaim and Anah, Anbar, Iraq

Geolocation

34.36857, 41.98194 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

At least 27 civilians were reportedly killed and dozens wounded by airstrikes in Anbar province, according to local sources.

Iraqi Spring Media Center said that 27 civilians were killed and 50 wounded in strikes on the towns of Anah and Al Qaim, in western Anbar. Yaqein put the death toll at 38 – “mostly civilians” – and said that 50 were wounded in strikes. Iraq News Center also reported 38 deaths, but said that 11 were members of ISIL – leaving a total of 27 civilians among those who perished.

None of these reports stipulated who was responsible. Al Jazeera however cited government sources which claimed a series of strikes in western Anbar. It suggested that up to 100 ISIL fighters and 25 civilians died.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    27 – 37
  • Civilians reported injured
    50
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    US-led Coalition, Iraq Government Forces

Sources (4) [ collapse]

CJTF–OIR Declassified Assessment and Press Release

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.

Declassified Assessment Press Release

US-led Coalition Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition
  • US-led Coalition position on incident
    Non credible / Unsubstantiated
    Insufficient information to assess that, more likely than not, a Coalition strike resulted in civilian casualties.
  • Reason for non-credible assessment
    No Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • Stated location
    near Al Qa’im, Iraq
    Nearest population center
  • Location accuracy
    1 m
  • MGRS coordinate
    37SFU8312607751
    Military Grid Reference System

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Aug 4, 2017

  • After a review of available information it was assessed that no Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area that correspond to the report of civilian casualties.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition
Official source

For May 8th-9th: “Near Rutbah, two strikes destroyed a bunker and a VBIED facility.”

Iraq Government Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Iraq Government Forces
  • Iraq Government Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    27 – 37
  • Civilians reported injured
    50
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    US-led Coalition, Iraq Government Forces

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Incident Code

CI736

Incident date

May 28, 2017

Location

المدينة القديمة, Mosul, Old City, Nineveh, Iraq

Geolocation

36.34075, 43.126911 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Multiple local sources and eyewitnesses reported that 15 civilians were killed, including children and women, and more than 20 others were injured after airstrikes hit their homes in Farouk Street in Old Mosul. Most sources blamed the Coalition for the shelling.

Witnesses had told Al Jazeera that the civilians had died after raids hit popular areas in the Old Mosul area, in “Al-Farouk Street and the area of ​​Al-Sadah, which lies north of the old part of ​​Mosul”. Security sources had told the news agency that “Iraqi forces were continuing operations in the three neighborhoods north of the old city, in West Mosul, for a second day in a row to regain control of ISIL, backed by air support from Iraqi aviation and International Coalition aircraft. The sources added that the advance of troops is proceeding slowly due to the violent resistance shown by the ISIL combatants.”

Yaqein Agency and Adamyiah News said it was the work of the Coalition.

Local Facebook group Sawlf Ateka later said that a young boy called Mazen had died in West Mosul (see photo below).

A UN report on the protection of civilians in context of Nineveh operations and the retaking of Mosul stated: “On 28 May, an airstrike targeting an ISIL convoy hit a group of civilians while they were walking in al- Najafy Street in the ISIL-controlled Old Mosul city. The airstrike reportedly killed 15 civilians, including four women and two children, and wounded eight others, including a child and three women.”

The Guardian reported on several civilian casualties from the old Mosul Neighborhood. One testimony from Tareq Abid is most likely related to this event. Abid describes how his wife and two children, five-year-old Messara, and 18-month-old Mariam were killed in an offensive against Islamic State “at the end of May last year”. He had asked his brother to flee with his family so he could make sure his parents could also leave in safety. When Abid returned to his neighborhood he found his wife and one of his daughters: “My wife’s face couldn’t be identified but she was still wearing her wedding ring. There was a big hole in her back and chest. Her handbag with all her jewellery was gone. Mariam was lying dead beside her. I learnt that Isis fighters had taken my eldest daughter to hospital but she had died too. I never found her body.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (2)

Messara
5 years old male Daughter of Tareq Abid killed
Mariam
1 years old female Daughter of Tareq Abid killed

The victims were named as:

Mazen
Child male killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    15
  • (2 children4 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    8–20
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    US-led Coalition

Sources (11) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • The young boy called Mazen, who reportedly died in West Mosul (via Sawlf Ateka)
CJTF–OIR Declassified Assessment and Press Release

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.

Declassified Assessment Press Release

US-led Coalition Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition
  • US-led Coalition position on incident
    Non credible / Unsubstantiated
    Insufficient information to assess that, more likely than not, a Coalition strike resulted in civilian casualties.
  • Reason for non-credible assessment
    Insufficient evidence of civilian harm
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • Stated location
    near Mosul, Iraq
    Nearest population center

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Oct 27, 2017

  • After a review of available information and strike video it was assessed that there is insufficient evidence to find that civilians were harmed in this strike.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition
Official source

For May 27th-28th the Coalition publicly reported: “Near Mosul, six strikes engaged five ISIS tactical units; destroyed 17 fighting positions, six heavy machine guns, four rocket-propelled grenade systems, three mortar systems, three VBIED, a vehicle, a medium machine gun; damaged an ISIS staging area; suppressed two ISIS tactical units and two mortar teams.”

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    15
  • (2 children4 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    8–20
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    US-led Coalition

Sources (11) [ collapse]

Incident Code

CI772

Incident date

June 18, 2017

Location

الموصل: غرب, Mosul, West (Shifa and Zanjili), Nineveh, Iraq

Geolocation

36.336843, 43.117979 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Colonel Talal Najm al-Hamdani, from the Directorate of Civil Defense of Nineveh, said that about 200 bodies had been recovered over a 48 hour period in different parts of West Mosul.

In an interview with Al Araby al Jadeeda, Colonerl al-Hamdani estimated that as many as 4,000 bodies remained under the rubble of West Mosul as a result of recent fighting. Of the 200 bodies recovered by volunteers, some had lain there for up to three months he believed, and were now skeletons.

One local assistance group accused the government of orchestrating a coverup of the deaths.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    200
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    US-led Coalition, Iraq Government Forces

Sources (7) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • An image showing a rescue team after the fighting
CJTF–OIR Declassified Assessment and Press Release

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.

Declassified Assessment Press Release

US-led Coalition Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition
  • US-led Coalition position on incident
    Non credible / Unsubstantiated
    Insufficient information to assess that, more likely than not, a Coalition strike resulted in civilian casualties.
  • Reason for non-credible assessment
    Insufficient information on the time and location
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • Stated location
    near Mosul, Iraq
    Nearest population center

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Jan 25, 2018

  • The report contains insufficient information of the time, location and details to assess its credibility.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition
Official source

See Coalition daily reports for February-June 2017.

Iraq Government Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Iraq Government Forces
  • Iraq Government Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    200
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    US-led Coalition, Iraq Government Forces

Sources (7) [ collapse]

Incident Code

CI804

Incident date

July 7, 2017

Location

مكاوي, Makkawai, Mosul, Old City, Nineveh, Iraq

Geolocation

36.3466708, 43.1327319 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Exact location (via Airwars) level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A father and son died as a result of being buried under the rubble in Makkawi, Old Mosul, reported Nineveh Media Center, following likely Coalition airstrikes.

Four families in total were trapped under the rubble, but Iraqyoon News Agency reported that most were still alive. The families were believed to be trapped in the basement of the house next to the Al Masafi Mosque at the entrance of Al Makawi Street.

One child reportedly sustained a broken leg as a result of the incident.

No further details are presently known.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    16–36
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    US-led Coalition

Sources (2) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Location of the strike

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention that the basement the families were trapped in was located under a house next to Al Masafi Mosque, which is “the next building at the entrance from Al Makawi Street towards the river”. Images published by Iraqyoon News point to this exact location: 36.3466708, 43.1327319.

CJTF–OIR Declassified Assessment and Press Release

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.

Declassified Assessment Press Release

US-led Coalition Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition
  • US-led Coalition position on incident
    Non credible / Unsubstantiated
    Insufficient information to assess that, more likely than not, a Coalition strike resulted in civilian casualties.
  • Reason for non-credible assessment
    Insufficient information on the time and location
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • Stated location
    near Mosul, Iraq
    Nearest population center

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • May 31, 2018

  • The report contains insufficient information of the time, location and details to assess its credibility.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition
Official source

For July 6th-7th, the Coalition reported: “Near Mosul, three strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units, destroyed one fighting position, damaged one fighting position, and suppressed a mortar system.” It additionally reported that “On July 6, near Mosul, Iraq, one strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit; destroyed a fighting position, a medium machine gun, and a command and control node; and damaged two supply routes.”

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    16–36
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    US-led Coalition

Sources (2) [ collapse]

Incident Code

CI836

Incident date

August 30, 2017

Location

Al Qaim, Anbar, Iraq

Geolocation

34.365296, 41.062818 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Local media reported on the death of civilians following alleged US-Coalition airstrikes on Al Qaiem District.

According to Yagein, the aircraft launched two raids targeting residential neighbourhoods and the school of the Eastern Renaissance. The sources added that the bombing caused the destruction of a number of houses which led to deaths and injuries of civilians. All sources said the US-led Coalition was responsible for the attack.

Specifics regarding civilian casualties are currently unknown.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian infrastructure
    School
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    US-led Coalition

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention the Eastern Renaissance (النهضة الشرقية) school in Al Qaim. The coordinates for the Eastern Renaissance (النهضة الشرقية) neighbourhood are: 34.365296, 41.062818. Airwars assessment summary uses the coordinates for the neighbourhood, however, a possible location for the school is: 34.3702996, 41.0638154. Airwars is unable to verify the geolocation of the school.

  • Eastern Renaissance (النهضة الشرقية) neighbourhood, Al Qaim.

    Imagery:
    © 2018 Google

US-led Coalition Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition
  • US-led Coalition position on incident
    Non credible / Unsubstantiated
    Insufficient information to assess that, more likely than not, a Coalition strike resulted in civilian casualties.
  • Reason for non-credible assessment
    No Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • Stated location
    near al Qaiem, Iraq
    Nearest population center

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • May 31, 2018

  • After a review of available information it was assessed that no Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area that correspond to the report of civilian casualties.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition
Official source

For August 29th – 30th the Coalition reported “Near Al Qaim, one strike destroyed two front-end loaders and an ISIS fuel truck.”

Summary

  • Civilian infrastructure
    School
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    US-led Coalition

Sources (3) [ collapse]