According to local sources, an alleged Coalition airstrike struck a residential house near the town of Al-Shaafa on the afternoon of January the 3rd. Between 7 and 13 civilians were initially reported killed, including women and children. The UN later raised this tally to 16 fatalities and two injuries.
The house owner Sulaiman Mohammed al-Ahdab and his daughter survived while the rest of the family was reported killed, including a named husband and wife.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SN4HR) reported that at least seven civilians died. Most sources put the death toll higher and reported that 11 civilians were killed, all part of the same family. Euphrates Post reported that two additional family members were also killed, bringing the total to 13 civilians.
Deir Ezzor 24 and SN4HR added that among the dead were three children, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on five children. SOHR added that three women died, while SN4HR reported on one woman’s death. One source added that the family had moved outside the town of Shaafa to escape the bombing.
In September 2019, the UN Commission of Inquiry for Syria accused the US-led Coalition of potential war crimes in this event, noting that “The Commission finds that there are reasonable grounds to believe that international coalition forces may not have directed their attacks at a specific military objective, or failed to do so with the necessary precaution. Launching indiscriminate attacks that result in death or injury to civilians amounts to a war crime in cases in which such attacks are conducted recklessly.”
The full Commission assessment for this event is as follows:
“The Commission continued its investigations into a series of air strikes carried out by the United States-led international coalition during operation Al-Jazeera Storm (A/HRC/40/70, para. 49), which resulted in a high number of civilian casualties. For example, on 3 January at approximately 7.30 a.m., a series of air strikes hit a single-floor residential building and its immediate vicinity. The building was positioned more than a kilometre east of the centre of Sha‘fah, south of Hajin. Analysis of the impact site, including the crater, in conjunction with witness statements describing the launching of rockets from a jet fighter, led the Commission to conclude that an air strike had been the cause of the damage.
The strike killed 16 civilians, including 3 women, 1 man, 3 boys and 9 girls. The majority of children killed were aged 5 years or less, with the youngest victim being a 2-month-old infant. Fourteen victims belonged to the same family, while two additional victims were relatives staying at the house. Two boys survived the attack, sustaining injuries.
Witness statements, satellite imagery and video material received and reviewed by the Commission confirmed the targeted object had been an isolated building on the outskirts of Sha‘fah, hundreds of metres from the next cluster of residential buildings and positioned off the main roads. While interviewees confirmed the presence of ISIL terrorists in Sha‘fah itself, the Commission found no indication of any ISIL presence or military target in the wider area of the building struck at the time of the attack.
The Commission recalls numerous previous attacks by the United States-led international coalition that resulted in death or injury to civilians. Furthermore, the Commission notes the isolated location of the targeted object, the high number of civilian casualties who were overwhelmingly children and the specific statements of eyewitnesses indicating the exclusive presence of civilians at the scene of the incident, all coinciding with the apparent absence of a military target in the area of the attack.
The evidence obtained regarding this incident indicated that international coalition forces failed to employ the necessary precautions to discriminate adequately between military objectives and civilians. The Commission finds that there are reasonable grounds to believe that international coalition forces may not have directed their attacks at a specific military objective, or failed to do so with the necessary precaution. Launching indiscriminate attacks that result in death or injury to civilians amounts to a war crime in cases in which such attacks are conducted recklessly.”
Ambassador James Jeffrey, the US’s top diplomat for Syria, rejected the allegation of war crimes on September 12th, telling reporters: “We do not accept the findings of that particular body.”
In its August 2019 monthly casualty report, the Coalition noted that it had reopened an assessment into the case due to new information.”
In a civilian casualty assessment released July 9th 2021, the Coalition classed this event as ‘non credible’, claiming that “After a review of all available records it was determined that, more likely than not, civilian casualties did not occur as a result of a Coalition action.”
The incident occured at approximately 7:30 am local time.
