Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Belligerent
Country
start date
end date
Civilian Harm Status
Belligerent Assessment
Declassified Documents
Infrastructure

Incident Code

RS3277

Incident date

March 15, 2018

Location

حمورية , Hamouriya , Damascus, Syria

Geolocation

33.528464, 36.389472 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Between 13 and 26 civilians including at least four children and four women were reported killed as a result of alleged Russian forces or Syrian regime forces airstrikes on Hamouriyah in Rif Damascus, Syria, on March 15th, 2018 according to local sources.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that Eastern Ghouta area witnessed heavy shelling in the evening because of intensive aerial and ground shelling.

The Observatory reported that “regime forces started intensive bombing operations on Hamouriya, as its warplanes targeted it amid rocket launching and heavy shelling, leading to dozens of killed and injured, raising to 26 the number of martyrs today in Hamouriya, including six children and four women.”

Step Agency blamed Russia reporting that “Russian airstrikes with rockets loaded with napalm, incendiary, cluster bombs and explosive barrels targeted the cities of Saqba, Harasta, Hamouriya, Jisreen, Kafar Batna, Hazza, Zamlaka,Al Rayhan and Ein Tirma in the eastern Ghouta, killing 13 people in Hamouriya, in addition to intensive artillery and missile attacks targeting the areas.”

Battles in the area surrounding Hamouriya continued between the regime forces and Fateh Al Rahman fighters, as the regime tried to control Hamouriya and was able to achieve some progress and control some farms and buildings in its surrounding amid resistance from Failaq Arrahman fighters.

The incident occured in the evening.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    13 – 26
  • (4–6 children4 women)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • 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 (2) [ collapse]

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Syrian Regime Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    13 – 26
  • (4–6 children4 women)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • 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 (2) [ collapse]

Incident Code

LC340

Incident date

April 11, 2020

Location

قصر بن غشير, Qasr Bin Gashir, Tripoli, Libya

Geolocation

32.688716, 13.173889 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

One civilian was allegedly killed by indiscriminate artillery shelling on Qasr Bin Gashir.

Tk Yahroug Kl shy said: “The citizen Muhammad Ramadan Al-Warfali has died as a result of a random shell landing in front of his house in Qasr Bin Gashir area.”

Local reports of fighting point at the GNA or LNA as the perpetrator.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

  • Muhammad Ramadan Al-Warfali Adult male killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 man)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attackers
    Government of National Accord, Libyan National Army

Sources (2) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Qasr Bin Gashir (قصر بن غشير), for which the generic coordinates are: 32.688716, 13.173889. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Government of National Accord Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Government of National Accord
  • Government of National Accord position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Libyan National Army Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 man)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attackers
    Government of National Accord, Libyan National Army

Sources (2) [ collapse]

Incident Code

LC367

Incident date

April 24, 2020

Location

عين زارة, Ain Zara, Tripoli, Libya

Geolocation

32.816556, 13.267525 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Four civilians were allegedly injured by indiscriminate shelling on Ain Zara.

The Field Medicine and Support Center said: “The field department of the University Hospital Tripoli, a field hospital affiliated to the Center for Field Medicine and Support, received, today, Saturday 25/4/2020, four cases of expatriate workers from the state of Niger as a result of being subjected to shelling in Ain Zara.”

Tk Yahrouq Kl shy and Hona Souq Al-Khmies only reported shelling without mentioning civilian harm.

Local reports of fighting point at the GNA or LNA as the culprit.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    4
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attackers
    Government of National Accord, Libyan National Army
  • Suspected target
    Unknown

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (5) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Victim of shelling on Ain Zara on April 24th, 2020 (via FMSC)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Victim of shelling on Ain Zara on April 24th, 2020 (via FMSC)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Victim of shelling on Ain Zara on April 24th, 2020 (via FMSC)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Victim of shelling on Ain Zara on April 24th, 2020 (via FMSC)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Victim of shelling on Ain Zara on April 24th, 2020 (via FMSC)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the neighbourhood of Al Ruwaimi (الرويمي) allegedly located within the town of Ain Zara (عين زارة). Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further. The generic coordinates for Ain Zara are: 32.816556, 13.267525.

Government of National Accord Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Government of National Accord
  • Government of National Accord position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Libyan National Army Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    4
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attackers
    Government of National Accord, Libyan National Army
  • Suspected target
    Unknown

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Incident Code

LQ040

Incident date

April 18, 2017

Location

بنغازي‎, Sabri, Benghazi, Libya

Geolocation

32.136111, 20.078889 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Various local sources reported heavy joint LNA and UAE air raids on “terrorist targets” in multiple Benghazi neighbourhoods near Sabri, the fish market and Sidi Akhribesh. The 18 UAE strikes were reportedly conducted by aircraft including an AT-802U.

There were no public reports of civilian harm at the time.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attackers
    Libyan National Army, United Arab Emirates Military

Sources (8) [ collapse]

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

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attackers
    Libyan National Army, United Arab Emirates Military

Sources (8) [ collapse]

Incident Code

LC384

Incident date

May 8, 2020

Location

قصر الحج, Qasr Al Hajj, Jabal al Gharbi, Libya

Geolocation

32.046542, 12.169579 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Between nine and ten civilians were allegedly killed by a Turkish airstrike on Qasr Al Hajj.

Al Maoukef Al Libi posted on Facebook: “Turkish occupation air forces bombard the Qasr A Hajj, which contains a gate belonging to the Directorate of Security of Alrujban and a medical team to combat the Corona virus. They are all civilians. 3 martyrs from Zintan and 6 from Alrujban in the Turkish air forces bombing the main road down the mountain.”

Tripoli 219 also reported nine victims, but said five are from Alrujban and four from Zintan.

Khamis Mahmoud Al Sheikhi said ten were killed, eight from Alrujban and two from Zintan.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    9 – 10
  • (9–10 men)
  • 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
    Turkish Military

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Civilians from Alrujban allegedly killed by a Turkish airstrike on Qasr Al Hajj on May 8th, 2020 (via Al Maoukef Al Libi)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Qasr Al Hajj (قصر الحج), for which the generic coordinates are: 32.046542, 12.169579. 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

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    9 – 10
  • (9–10 men)
  • 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
    Turkish Military

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS3667

Incident date

May 6, 2019

Location

كفرسجنة, Kafar Sijna, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

A single source claimed that civilians, including children, were wounded when an alleged Russian airstrike struck the town of Kafr Sijana in southern Idlib on May 6th, 2019.

No other details are known at this time.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military
  • Suspected target
    Unknown

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military
  • Suspected target
    Unknown

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USYEMTr170

Incident date

June 28, 2018

Location

بئر شودقة, Bi'ir Shoudqa, Ma'rib, Yemen

Geolocation

15.515556, 45.395278 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A US drone strike targeted alleged AQAP militants in Bi’ir Shoudqa, Wadi Obeida area of Marib governorate, on June 28th 2018, a single source (@huodhoud) claimed.

At around the same time, Yemeni sources began reporting that an alleged AQAP jurist, Abu Bihr Mohammed Darama, was killed by a US drone strike. It is unlikely Darama’s death in Marib had resulted from an earlier confirmed US drone strike on June 23rd, since they took place in either Shabwah, Hadramawt or Al-Bayda governorate.

Dr Elisabeth Kendall (@Dr_E_Kendall) tweeted that Daram frequently wrote for Al Qaeda’s newspaper al-Masra, but rarely in formal AQAP channels. Further sources, such as @IbnSiqilli, described Darama as a judge in Abyan. None described him as a combatant.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attacker
    US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)

Sources (8) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (5) [ collapse]

  • Abu Bishr Muhammad Darama, an alleged AQAP jurist, was reportedly killed by a US drone strike, though it the exact circumstances and timing of the strike were unclear (@Dr_E_Kendall, June 28th 2018)
  • No sources explicitly indicated that Darama was a combatant (SITE Intel Group, June 28th 2018)

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention the Bi’ir Shoudqa (بئر شودقة), possibly a well located in or in the vicinity of the Wadi Obeida (وادي عبيدة) area, east of the city of Ma’rib (مأرب). Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further. The generic coordinates for Wadi Obeida are: 15.515556, 45.395278.

  • Reports of the incident mention the Bi’ir Shoudqa (بئر شودقة), possibly a well located in or in the vicinity of the Wadi Obeida (وادي عبيدة) area, east of the city of Ma’rib (مأرب).

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

US Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US Forces
  • US Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attacker
    US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)

Sources (8) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USYEMTr004

Incident date

January 22, 2017

Location

مديرية الصومعة, al Sama'a, Bayda, Yemen

Geolocation

14.166667, 45.831111 Note: The accuracy of this location is to District level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A number of reports indicated that a US drone strike on January 22nd had killed one AQAP member in Bayda province. There were no known associated reported civilian casualties.

Reuters reported that a strike against a car in al-Sama’a district had resulted in the death of one suspected AQAP member, based on official and local sources. A number of sources reported that a militant named as Tufayl al-Ta’izi had been killed by a US drone strike, and that AQAP had acknowledged this.

US Central Command later confirmed that a strike had been conducted on January 22nd, resulting in the death of one AQAP “operative”.

Due to the geographical proximity to other reported US strikes in the same time period, it is possible that some sources listed for this strike instead refer to one or more other strikes from 20th-22nd January 2017.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Known attacker
    US Forces
  • Known target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    1

Sources (13) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (5) [ collapse]

  • Destroyed car, allegedly the target of a US drone strike on 22nd January 2017
  • A possible alleged picture of the strike location, posted by a local language source over a month after the alleged strike date (@marjalhaq, February 28th 2020)

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention a strike on a vehicle in the district of Al Suma’a (مديرية الصومعة), for which the generic coordinates are: 14.166667, 45.831111. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

  • Reports of the incident mention a strike on a vehicle in the district of Al Suma’a (مديرية الصومعة)

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

US Forces Assessment:

  • Known belligerent
    US Forces
  • US Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

US Forces

TAMPA, Fla. — The U.S. military conducted strikes on al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula operatives in central Yemen on Jan. 20, 21 and 22.

On Jan. 20, one strike killed an AQAP operative in the al-Baydah Governorate.

On Jan. 21, one strike killed three AQAP operatives in the al-Baydah Governorate.

On Jan. 22, one strike killed an AQAP operative in the al-Baydah Governorate.

"Strikes against al-Qa'ida operatives in Yemen put consistent pressure on the terrorist network and prevent them from plotting and executing attacks against the U.S. and our allies," said Army Maj. Josh T. Jacques, a U.S. Central Command spokesman. "AQAP remains a significant threat to the region, the United States, and beyond."

The CENTCOM mission is to direct and enable military operations and activities with allies and partners to increase regional security and stability in support of enduring U.S. interests.

"U.S. Central Command remains committed to defeating AQAP and denying it safe havens in Yemen," Jacques said.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Known attacker
    US Forces
  • Known target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    1

Sources (13) [ collapse]