Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

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Incident Code

TS255

Incident date

March 7, 2018

Location

قرية مسكة فوقاني, Miska Jorin, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.452222, 36.694722 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

At least four or five civilians died in an alleged Turkish shelling of Miska Jorin village, according to sources on the ground in Syria.

Afrin Now reported the death of four civilians, three of whom were still under the rubble. Other sources also put the death toll at four.

ANHA was among several sources publishing a video of the aftermath of the attack. It reported: “As a result of the bombing of the village of Miska Fokani in Jandrissa area, 4 civilians were killed. The Kurdish Red Crescent teams recovered the body of one martyr while the bodies of 3 civilians were still under the rubble and cannot be reached due to the continued intensive shelling of the area.”

ANHA added that Turkey had launched attacks on Jindires with heavy weapons, as well as a bombardment by military and helicopter gunships.

According to Mutlu Civiroglu, five civilians were reported killed after their home collapsed over them. The body of one victim under rubble is visible in the video.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4 – 5
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (12) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]

  • Aftermath of the alleged shelling by Turkish army on Miskah village of Jindires in Afrin on 7 March, 2018 (via Bnt3frin)
  • A tweet contains video that reveals the aftermath of the shelling by Turkish army on Miskah village of Jindires in Afrin on 7 March, 2018 (via Mutlu Civiroglu)
  • Footage shows the moment of shelling allegedly carried out by Turkish forces Jindires in Afrin on 7 March, 2018(via Hawar News)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Miska Jorin (قرية مسكة فوقاني), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.452222, 36.694722. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Turkish Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Turkish Military
  • Turkish Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4 – 5
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (12) [ collapse]

Incident Code

CS957

Incident date

June 10, 2017

Location

سيف الدولة, 23rd February road, Ar Raqqah, Syria

Geolocation

35.949412, 39.022963 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Exact location (via Airwars) level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Five civilians including four from the same family died and several more were injured in what appears to have been an artillery bombardment, according to local sources. Multiple reports said that the Thalji building on 23 February Street was hit by shells.

Most sources referred to “shelling” and “artillery” but didn’t name the culprit. While some laid the blame with the SDF, the Coalition has confirmed to Airwars that only it was conducting artillery strikes on the city in this period. Officials later accepted responsibility for two deaths in the near vicinity that day.

According to Mohammed Ottoman, “two artillery shells landed yesterday evening on the Thalji building on 23 February Street, east of Saif al-Dawla junction. Four people, three of them from the same family, were killed.”

According to the Amnesty and Airwars’s joint April 2019 report “War in Raqqa: Rhetoric versus Reality”, “An air strike, apparently from a drone killed the four family members [who were] on the roof of a seven story building feeding their birds when drone missile struck”.

According to Amnesty the building previously identified by Airwars as the targeted building is incorrect. The victims parents and Munaf’s wife and baby were in that apartment on the 3rd floor when the father saw the drone strike and told his wife “the boys have gone”.

In April 2019, the Coalition admitted to killing two civilians. The report submitted to Amnesty International stated: “On 10 June 2017, Coalition self-reported that while conducting a strike against enemy combatants, 2 civilians were unfortunately killed due to proximity to the strike.”

Amna – mother of the victim – said in a testimony that “While the children were up on the roof we were on the balcony and saw a drone and then saw a flash and my husband screamed ‘oh my God, the children have gone’. They were all killed.”

The incident occured at 12:00:00 local time.

The victims were named as:

Family members (4)

Ibrahim Ali Ismail Thalji
16 years old male killed
Ahmed Ali Ismail Thalji
14 years old male killed
Munaf Ala’Eddine al-Hassan al-Thalji
17 years old male killed
Moh Walid Bazzat
40 years old male father of Munaf’s wife; he flew all the way down from the roof to the street

The victims were named as:

Hassan Ghalia
Age unknown male killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4 – 5
  • (3 children1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Confirmed
    A specific belligerent has accepted responsibility for civilian harm.
  • Known attacker
    US-led Coalition

Sources (14) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (14) [ collapse]

  • The building on 23 February Street (via Q_ALenzy Twitter)
  • Ahmad and Munaf Al Thalji (via Amnesty International)
  • Ahmad, Munaf and Ibrahim Al Thalji (via Amnesty International)
  • Ahmad, Munaf and Ibrahim Al Thalji (via Amnesty International)
  • Mohammed Walid Bazzat (via Amnesty International)
  • Munaf Al Thalji and his wife Rayan Mohammed Walid (via Amnesty International)
  • Father of the Thalji boys, left blind by a different strike that killed Munaf's wife, Rayan (via Amnesty International)
  • Father of the Thalji boys, left blind by a different strike that killed Munaf's wife, Rayan (via Amnesty International)
  • Mother of the Thalji boys, Amna, pointing to the hole made by the drone's airstrike that killed her 3 sons and her son's father in law (via Amnesty International)
  • The hole made by the drone strike that killed 4 (via Amnesty International)
  • Building viewed from across the street. The boys were on the roof of this 7 storey building feeding their birds when the drone missile struck (via Amnesty International)
  • Close up of the roof on which the boys were when the drone missile struck (via Amnesty International)
  • Ground level view of the 7 storey building on top of which the 4 were killed (via Amnesty International)
  • View of the building from across the street (via Amnesty International)

Geolocation notes (2) [ collapse]

  • The building in which 4 members of the Thalji family were killed seen on satellite imagery before the strike (June 2, 2017)

    Imagery:
    Amnesty International

  • The building in which 4 members of the Thalji family were killed seen on satellite imagery after the strike (July 6, 2017)

US-led Coalition Assessment:

  • Known belligerent
    US-led Coalition
  • US-led Coalition position on incident
    Credible / Substantiated
    The investigation assessed that although all feasible precautions were taken and the decision to strike complied with the law of armed conflict, unintended civilian casualties regrettably occurred.
  • Given reason for civilian harm
    No reason given
    Airwars’ assessment of belligerent’s civilian casualty statement
  • Initial Airwars grading
    Confirmed
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    2
  • Stated location
    near Raqqah, Syria
    Nearest population center
  • Location accuracy
    1 m
  • MGRS coordinate
    37SEV0205578331
    Military Grid Reference System

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Sep 1, 2018

  • June 10, 2017, near Raqqah, Syria, via self-report: During a strike on an ISIS UAS launch and recovery site, it was assessed that two civilians were unintentionally killed.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition
Official source

For June 9th-10th: “Near Raqqah, 20 strikes engaged 12 ISIS tactical units; destroyed seven fighting positions, four vehicles, three ISIS headquarters, a VBIED, and an ISIS-held building; and suppressed an ISIS tactical unit.”

For 10th-11th it reported: "Near Raqqah, 23 strikes [2 British] engaged 20 ISIS tactical units; destroyed 16 fighting positions, two vehicles, and two ISIS boats; damaged five ISIS supply routes; and suppressed an ISIS tactical unit."
The report also noted that "On June 10, near Raqqah, Syria, 11 strikes engaged 9 ISIS tactical units; destroyed eight fighting positions, a tunnel, a weapons storage facility, and a command and control node; damaged an ISIS factory; and suppressed a sniper.

Moreover, in its September 2017 casualty report, the Coalition noted: “June 10, 2017, near Raqqah, Syria, via self-report: During a strike on an ISIS UAS launch and recovery site, it was assessed that two civilians were unintentionally killed.”
It also provided coordinates – 35°56’57.7″N 39°01’22.1″E – placing the event on February 23rd Street east of Saif State Street.

French Military
  • English
    /
    Original
Official source

On the 15/6-17, the French MoD reported: "In the past week, France reports his 31 sorties, 28 of which were Armed Reconnaissance or Ground Support (CAS) and 3 were intelligence gathering. Two strikes were conducted by French planes in Iraq and Syria, one in the west of Raqqah city, and the other in the Al Qaim region, both against ISIL fighters. Task Force Wagram carried out 80 artillery strikes in Mosul."

Cette semaine, les aéronefs de l’opération Chammal ont réalisé 31 sorties aériennes dont 28 de reconnaissance armée ou d’appui au sol (CAS) et 3 de recueil de renseignements. 2 frappes ont été conduites par les avions français en Irak et en Syrie, l’une à l’Ouest de la ville de Raqqah, et l’autre dans la région d’Al Qaim, toutes deux contre des combattants de Daech

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4 – 5
  • (3 children1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Confirmed
    A specific belligerent has accepted responsibility for civilian harm.
  • Known attacker
    US-led Coalition

Sources (14) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS047

Incident date

October 15, 2015

Location

سابقية, Sabkiye, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.0641216, 37.1032333 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A husband, wife and their three children, all boys, were reported killed in a Russian airstrike at Sabkiye, in Aleppo governorate.

This event is presently single-sourced, with few details known. More broadly, the Syrian Observatory reported a major ground battle taking place at Sabkiye on the same day.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (5)

Adla Mohammad al-Jasem
Adult female killed with her husband and three children killed
husband of Adla Mohammad al-Jasem
Adult male killed with his wife and three children killed
One child of Adla Mohammad al-Jasem
Child male
One child of Adla Mohammad al-Jasem
Child male
One child of Adla Mohammad al-Jasem
Child

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • (3 children1 woman1 man)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Unknown

Sources (2) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Sabkiye (سابقية), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.0641216, 37.1032333. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Unknown Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Unknown
  • Unknown position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

Unknown
Official source

The Kremlin has confirmed carrying out airstrikes in Aleppo governorate for October 15th-16th 2015: “Su-24M bombers hit a two-storey building, which the ISIS militants had used as command centre (Aleppo province). As a result, the target was destroyed by a direct hit of an air bomb.”

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • (3 children1 woman1 man)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Unknown

Sources (2) [ collapse]

Incident Code

CS1038

Incident date

June 19, 2017

Location

الجسر الجديد, Al Jisr al Jadid, Ar Raqqah, Syria

Geolocation

35.9320812, 38.9918947 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A family of civilians – including two women and a child – were killed after alleged Coalition airstrikes struck their house near Al Jisr al Jadeed (the New Bridge), to the south of Raqqa. Several local sources identified the victims by name.

According to RFS, the family were trying to escape the city when they were killed.

One source, @NPress9, claimed that Salem al Hassan al Hamoud and his son were ‘terrorists’ wanted by the Coalition, but that information could not be verified. All other sources reported that they were civilians.

Twelve of the 14 sources alleged that the Coalition was responsible, whereas the remaining two did not apportion blame.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (5)

Salem al Hassan al Hamoud
Age unknown male killed
Hassan Salem al Hamoud
Age unknown male killed
Hala Salem al Hamoud
Age unknown female killed
Fahad Salem al Hamoud
Age unknown male killed
Wife of Faisal Maha Mustafa Darwish
Age unknown female killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • (1 child2 women)
  • 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 (15) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]

  • Salem al-Hassan al-Hamoud, killed with members of his family in an alleged Coalition raid on al Jisr al Jadid, June 19th (via Al Ragga Truth)
  • Salem al-Hassan al-Hamoud and his son were reportedly killed by Coalition airstrikes on June 19th 2017 (via Noon Press)
  • Salem al-Hassan al-Hamoud was reportedly killed by Coalition airstrikes on June 19th 2017 (via RBSS)
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 Jisr al Jadid, Syria
    Nearest population center

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Feb 22, 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 June 18th-19th the Coalition reported: “Near Raqqah, 12 strikes engaged 10 ISIS tactical units and destroyed four vehicles, two fighting positions, two mortar systems, a VBIED, a tactical vehicle, and a heavy machine gun.” It additionally reported that “On June 18, near Raqqah, Syria, three strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units, destroyed eight fighting positions and a mortar system, and suppressed an ISIS tactical unit.” And that “On June 18, near Raqqah, Syria, one strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed five fighting positions; damaged eight fighting positions; and suppressed an ISIS tactical unit.”

For June 19th-20th: “Near Raqqah, eight strikes engaged seven ISIS tactical units and destroyed 15 fighting positions and a vehicle.” It additionally reported that “On June 19, near Raqqah, Syria, one strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a fighting position and a UAS launch site.”

French Military
  • English
    /
    Original
Official source

For June 14th-20th, 19 strikes were made by French aircraft in Iraq and Syria. Most of them were carried out during the Battle of Mosul, in support of the Iraqi fighters engaged in the fighting to drive ISIL out of its positions in the North of the Medina. The other strikes were carried out in support of the fighting for the capture of Raqqah, and against flows of arms and fighters in Iraq and Syria.

Cette semaine, les aéronefs de l’opération Chammal ont réalisé 34 sorties aériennes dont 31 de reconnaissance armée ou d’appui au sol (CAS) et 3 de recueil de renseignements. 19 frappes ont été réalisées par les avions français en Irak et en Syrie. La majeure partie d’entre elle ont été réalisées dans le cadre de la bataille de Mossoul, en appui des combattants irakiens engagés dans les combats pour chasser Daech de ses positions au Nord de la Médina. Les autres frappes ont été réalisées en appui des combats pour la prise de Raqqah, et contre des flux d’armes et de combattants en Irak et en Syrie.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • (1 child2 women)
  • 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 (15) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS241

Incident date

December 7, 2015

Location

الهلك, Huluk (Aleppo), Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.237367, 37.171512 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Five civilians including two women and two children were killed – and dozens injured – in an alleged Russian airstrike targeting Al Huluk School, Aleppo, according to the Shaam News Network.

The White Helmets reported that four dead bodies were recovered from the rubble and that 10 injured people were rescued. It said that among the dozens of wounded were many students, as the bombing occurred during school hours. Al Jazeera interviewed witnesses in Aleppo who said an aid station at the school was bombed.

Four victims were named by the Violations Documentation Center. They also noted one Unidentified male child

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Abdul Hameed Sultan
Adult male killed
Bilal Mahmoud
Child male killed
Sahar Ghazal al-Hamwi
Adult female killed
Fatme Ahmad al-Jasem
Adult female killed

Summary

  • Civilian infrastructure
    School
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • (2 children2 women1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    12–24
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • The White Helmets work to remove victims from an alleged Russian strike on Al Hulluk, Dec 7th (via White Helmets)
  • The White Helmets reported that they removed four dead bodies and rescued 10 injured civilians following the alleged Russian strike on Al Hulluk, Dec 7th (via White Helmets)

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

Russian Military
Official source

Russia has published no known record of its strikes in Syria between December 4th-8th.

Summary

  • Civilian infrastructure
    School
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • (2 children2 women1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    12–24
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS433

Incident date

January 21, 2016

Location

الباب, Al-Bab, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.371972, 37.51631 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Five civilians died and up to 20 were injured in airstrikes on Al Bab, according to local sources – though reports were conflicted as to whether this was the work of Russia or the Assad regime.

Syrian Press Centre blamed Russia, putting the death toll at five, adding that “the city Of Al Bab is under aerial bombardment by the Russian Aviation constantly“.

Al Buraq Media referred to raids by “warplanes” carrying of strikes on Al Bab, but did not say who they belonged to.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that an aerial bombardment continued amid clashes between “regime forces and Islamic battalions” in Aleppo, adding that five civilians were reported killed in Al Bab.

However, according to Syria News Desk, the regime fired 20 rockets, with most of them falling “near the hospitals of AlMadina and Alfateh  and near an automated bakery“. They put the death toll at 3 civilians, with 20 more injured -adding that the number of dead could well rise due to the severity injuries.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian infrastructure
    Healthcare facility
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • Civilians reported injured
    20
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

Russian Military
Official source

No Russian reports were published for January 21st 2016.

Syrian Regime Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Syrian Regime
  • Syrian Regime position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian infrastructure
    Healthcare facility
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • Civilians reported injured
    20
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS497

Incident date

January 29, 2016

Location

مارع, Mare', Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.482582, 37.19593 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Five civilians including two children were killed and up to 40 injured in alleged Russian airstrikes on Mare’, according to local sources.

According to the White Helmets, the town was targeted with four cluster bombs and then with two vacuum missiles, resulting in the death of three and the injury of 15 others, “most of them in a critical condition“. The White Helmets did not say who was responsible for the incidents.

However, the Shaam News Network blamed Russia for carrying out five airstrikes on civilian homes. Activists told SNN that raids targeted the city with five rockets, four of them containing cluster bombs. This reportedly happened at the time of Friday prayers, killing at least three and injuring more than 40 because the clusters bombs “spread over large areas within the city’s neighbourhoods.”

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (3)

Jaber Mohammad al-Hmoud Abbas
Adult male killed
Abdullah Mahmoud Mohammad Abbas
Child male killed
Mahmoud Mohammad al-Hamoud Abbas
Adult male killed

The victims were named as:

daughter of Abo Janan Dada
Child female killed
Khadeeje Rasheed Mahmoud Naser
Adult female killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • (2 children1 woman2 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    15–40
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (6) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • A member of the White Helmets examines the remains of a cluster bomb fired on Mare', 29th January 2016. (via White Helmets)

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

Russian Military
Official source

In its military report published on 1st February 2016, the Kremlin said: “In the course of the last week, the Russian aircraft in the Syrian Arab Republic have performed 468 combat sorties engaging 1354 terrorists’ infrastructural facilities in the Aleppo, Latakia, Hama, Homs, Damascus, Raqqah, Daraa and Deir ez-Zor provinces. Among them – 24 ones were carried out by Tu-22M3 long-range bombers from the Russian territory…Near Jeb Ghabishah (Aleppo province), a Su-24M bomber destroyed ammunition and POL storages of the ISIS terrorists.”

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • (2 children1 woman2 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    15–40
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (6) [ collapse]

Incident Code

CS1636

Incident date

September 19–October 10, 2017

Location

Ar Raqqah, Syria

Geolocation

35.956964, 39.001378 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Exact location (via Airwars) level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Up to five civilians, including one child and three women, were reportedly killed by an alleged Coalition strike at some point during the Raqqa Campaign, Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS) and Amnesty and Airwars’s joint April 2019 report “War in Raqqa: Rhetoric versus Reality” reported.

The first report was made by RBSS who reported the death of a man and his wife after they were missing for several months. RBSS said that they were killed in a previous bombing by international coalition aircraft on the city of Al-Raqqa.

In April 2019, Amnesty International and Airwars published a joint report from the battle of Raqqa, which echoed RBSS report about the death of the married couple while interviews with an eyewitness told Amnesty’s researchers that a total of five victims were killed. As, besides from the married couple, two women and one child were also killed.

While only the man and two women are identified by name, the eyewitness, who was the child of the married couple, told Amnesty that a child and possibly his mother (as she was found cuddling the little boy) were among the remaining two victims.

It is currently unclear at what point during the Raqqa campaign that the victims died. Amnesty and Airwars’ research suggests that the incident took place somewhere between September 19th and October 10th.

Interviews with eyewitnesses also indicated that there were no Daesh fighters in that building.

On March 10, 2022 in the CJTF-OIR Civilian Casualty Report, the Coalition listed this incident as occurring on Sept. 23, 2017 and reported this incident to be “non-credible”, stating that “After review of all available evidence it was determined that more likely than not civilian casualties did not occur as a result of a Coalition strike.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (2)

Hassan al Sueri
81 years old male killed
Marian Steif
72 years old female Wife of Hassan al Sueri killed

The victims were named as:

Haja Amal Anteebah
75 years old female killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • (1 child3 women1 man)
  • 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
    US-led Coalition

Sources (2) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Hassan al-Sueri killed with his wife at some point during the Raqqah campaign by an alleged Coaltion airstrike (RBSS)

Geolocation notes

Coordinates released by the Coalition place the event at 35.95696, 39.00138

US-led Coalition Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition
  • US-led Coalition position on incident
    Open incident
  • Stated location
    near Raqqah, Syria
    Nearest population center
  • Location accuracy
    1 m
  • MGRS coordinate
    37SEV0012479175
    Military Grid Reference System

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Mar 10, 2022

  • Sept. 23, 2017, near Raqqah, Syria, via Amnesty International report. After review of all available evidence it was determined that more likely than not civilian casualties did not occur as a result of a Coalition strike. 2767/CS1636 37SEV0012479175

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

Date of event currently unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • (1 child3 women1 man)
  • 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
    US-led Coalition