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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Incident Code

TS083 CS514

Incident date

February 20, 2017

Location

الباب, Al Bab city, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

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

Airwars assessment

Between 12 and 29 civilians including up to five children and five women died in airstrikes on Al Bab, according to local media – though sources were conflicted as to whether this was the work of Turkey or the US-led Coalition.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, “The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented today a massacre that took the lives of a family of 11 men and a woman and a child, they were killed by raids by Turkish warplanes and the shells of their forces that fell on the city”.

Syria News Desk said that five children died in the Turkish bombing.

However, the Syrian Network for Human Rights blamed the Coalition for the death of 12 civilians, including 5 children and 4 women”.

Al Hayat also pointed to the Coalition, reporting that “29 were killed and four buildings destroyed  in the coalition air strikes”.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (2)

Mohammad Kheir Omar Bat-hish
Adult male killed
his wife Hamida Bat-hish
Adult female killed

Family members (3)

Hussein al Haj Ahmad Bat-hish
Adult male killed
his wife Nadwa Hamdan
Adult female pregnant killed
7 month old foetus
Child killed

Family members (4)

Omar Hussein Bat-hish
Adult male killed
his wife
Adult female daughter of Adel al Najeh Al Hamdo al Saleh killed
Hissan Omar Bat-hish
4 years old male killed
Mohammad Omar Bat-hish
3 years old male killed

The victims were named as:

Unidentified child
1 years old female killed
the wife of Mahmoud Hussein Bat-hish
Adult female daughter of Alaa al Othman killed
the child Hassan Mahmoud Bat-hish
Child killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    12 – 29
  • (4–5 children5 women4 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    7
  • 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, Turkish Military

Sources (10) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the city of Al Bab city (الباب), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.371972, 37.51631. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

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.
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Jun 2, 2017

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

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition
Official source

For February 19th-20th, the Coalition reported: “Near Al Bab, one strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit.” For February 20th-21st, they reported: “Near Al Bab, three strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units, destroyed four ISIS-held buildings, and damaged an ISIS-held building.”

Turkish Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    12 – 29
  • (4–5 children5 women4 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    7
  • 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, Turkish Military

Sources (10) [ collapse]

Incident Code

CS425

Incident date

January 3, 2017

Location

سرمدا, Sarmada, Idlib, Syria

Geolocation

36.18525, 36.72251 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Within 100m (via Coalition) level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A major US airstrike on an al Nusra Front headquarters – a unilateral action – killed a significant number of militants. However, up to 26 Free Syrian Army prisoners held in the building were also reported killed, along with three children.

The US admitted responsibility for just one civilian death three years later.

Fatah al Sham blamed the international Coalition at the time, with spokesman Abu Anas al-Shami saying in a statement: “The headquarters targeted by the international coalition a short time ago are a main headquarters for that area and contains a number branch offices, leading to the killing of the brothers.”

Given that the target was al Nusra, this was thought most likely to be a unilateral US action. The Coalition’s spokesman Colonel John Dorrian later confirmed that the attack “was a US strike.”

As the Pentagon’s own spokesman Peter Cook also noted: ““Al-Qaida’s foreign terrorist fighter network used this headquarters as a gathering place, and their leaders directed terrorist operations out of this location. As you know, al-Qaida remains committed to carrying out terrorist attacks against the United States, our interests, and our allies and friends. We will continue to take actions to deny any safe haven for al-Qaida in Syria. We will not allow al-Qaida to grow its capacity to attack the United States or our allies around the world, and these strikes demonstrate that commitment.”

AFP cited the Syrian Observatory as saying that “Among the dead were leading members of the group formerly known as al-Nusra Front, who had been holding a meeting.” Almost all sources also reported civilian fatalities.

Idlib Media Centre reported “Civilian martyrs and wounded including prisoners, due to Coalition warplanes shelling a Fatah Al-Sham building in Samara.” Shaam News reported that the strikes “killed around 40 – the majority of whom are prisoners who were detained by Fatah Al-Sham.” Qasioun said the attack occurred at 3.55pm and injured “dozens.”

According to Al Khaleej, “44 were killed including 26 prisoners of the Free Syrian Army, 15 members of Fatah Al-Sham and three children and it’s not known whether the children were prisoners, or children of Fatah Al-Sham members.”

A local activist told Airwars the following: “Al-Nusra Front still denies the existence of civilian [prisoners] in its headquarters. But families were able to recognise a number of the bodies who were previous detainees and missing people, which confirms that the headquarters was transformed into a prison recently.” One of those victims – 10 year old Haytham – was reportedly being held on theft charges when he was killed.

However Al Souria insisted that the facility was not a prison, and that more than 20 members of Al Nusra were instead killed.

Syrian Revolution has named the four prisoners as killed. In addition, a local activist provided Airwars with five additional names of reported civilian fatalities.

On March 4th 2017 the Coalition claimed it did not have enough information to determine whether civilians died in the raid, noting: “Jan. 3, 2017, Sarmada, Syria, via social media report: The report contained insufficient information on the time, location and details of strike to assess its credibility.”

However in January 2020, the Coalition conceded one civilian death in the event, noting: “January 3, 2017, in Sarmada, Syria, via media report. US aircraft conducted an airstrike against an Al Qaida facility. Regrettably, one civilian was unintentionally killed as a result of the strike. 306/CS425 37SBA952069”.

In May 2020, the Pentagon also included this event in its annual civilian harm report to Congress.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Wael Yasin
Age unknown male From Kafr Dyan killed
Adnan Mohammed Suleiman
Age unknown male From Ebien killed
Hajj Ibrahim Abdul-Aziz Jalloud
Age unknown male From Sarmada killed
Hassan Mohammed Bakir
Age unknown male killed
Majdi Alolo
Age unknown From Maarat Misrin
Hussein Shahhoud Sharif
Age unknown From Al-Atarib
Abdullah Al-Teyyawi
Age unknown From Ziyara, Sahel Al-Ghab
Ahmad Al-Haji
Age unknown From Dana
Haytham
10 years years old male From Al-Taman’a village in Khan Sheikhoun killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (3 children26 other protected persons)
  • Civilians reported injured
    12–24
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Confirmed
    A specific belligerent has accepted responsibility for civilian harm.
  • Known attacker
    US-led Coalition
  • Known target
    Al Qaeda/HTS

Sources (35) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (17) [ collapse]

  • Exact moments the alleged Coalition airstrike hit Sarmada. (via Hona Syria Hona Idlib)
  • White Helmets removing charred bodies from the rubble in the aftermath of the alleged Coalition airstrike on Idlib, 1st Jan 2017. (via White Helmets)
  • Prisoners were killed in Al-Nusra prison which was targeted near Sarmada: Wael Yasin, Kafr Dyan Adnan Mohammed Suleiman, Ebien Hajj Ibrahim Abdul-Aziz Jalloud, Sarmada Hassan Mohammed Bakir.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Pictures for members of the front who were killed at the quarter in Sarmada. (via @fadihussein8)
  • Coordinate of the place bombed (via a private message with Airwars)
  • Aftermath of the strike (via a private message with Airwars)
  • Aftermath of the strike (via a private message with Airwars)
  • Aftermath of the strike (via a private message with Airwars)
  • One of the civilians killed (via a private message with Airwars)
  • Hassan Mohammed Bakro (via a private message with Airwars))
  • One of the civilians killed (via a private message with Airwars)
  • One of the people killed (via a private message with Airwars)

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    One of the people killed (via a private message with Airwars)

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    One of the people killed (via a private message with Airwars)
  • Translation: In the Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Most Graceful From your brothers in the Court in Sarmada Allah said in his Quran “ And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient, Who, when disaster strikes them, say, Indeed we belong to Allah , and indeed to Him we will return. Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the [rightly] guided.” Al-Baqara, verses 155-157. We give out condolences to Fateh Al-Sham and the families who lost their loved ones in the Court’s prison and we tell them that we ask Allah to accept their martyrs, heal their wounded and forgive our and your sins. And we would like to clarify the following points: 1- The court’s prison is totally separated from the brothers’ buildings of Fateh Al-Sham head quarter because the place is a long way at the top of the mountain and contains rooms separated from each other and a few months ago, we used two rooms and between these room and the rooms of the brothers in Fateh Al-Sham a distance onlookers can distinguish by looking, and it is clearly signed and reads “ Dar Al-Qada’a” (meaning the court). Nevertheless, the coalition despite their knowledge and investigations did not distinguish between a militant and a civilian as they believe they’re all terrorists. 2- Dar Al-Qada’a (the court) only deals with urgent and important cases such as murder, theft, kidnapping and when there’s an allegation of a big amount of money which is put in place to serve the people and insure their safety and this has been put in place for a couple of months now and is known by all the Muslims because we left the old place which was a school in order to keep people safe and not to give excuses. However, the murderer's’ hand still reaches everyone and doesn’t distinguish anyone. 3- Usually, the number of prisoners a couple of months ago reaches more than a 100, but there were only 24 at this time. May Allah accept those who were killed and heal those who were wounded. 4- Everybody knows that we have been and we are still looking to establish a private place for the court and a prison, we won’t leave this but we completely understand what people are going through and we know their urgent needs. 5- No-one can deny the huge effort the courts are doing in keeping order and minimising chaos in our society. Many offenders wouldn’t do anything fearing punishment. And yet, we do not ask for compliments or gifts in return (A very poetic sentence which means people do the things without asking for a thank you or a reward. AT) May Allah forgive those who offended, hurt or gossiped about others. We here do not deny our shortcomings, perfections is only for Allah, and we do not deny our brothers’ efforts in other courts and we highlight that it is a very important side of worship which helps strengthening our Muslims’ community. May Allah have mercy on everyone. We ask Allah to forgive our sins and treats us with his mercy and justice not by our deeds. Allah blessings and peace of our prophet Mohammed and his family. Wednesday 6/4/1438 (Muslim Caldnder) 4/1/2017 Stamp: Dar Al-Qada’a Sarmada Documentation office. (via a private message with Airwars)

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    One of the people killed in the air strike (via Sputnik)
  • Table from May 2020 Pentagon report to Congress, conceding additional US civilian harm events in Iraq and Syria during 2017.

Geolocation notes

Prior to the Coalition releasing the MGRS for this incident, Airwars had geolocated it to the town level at 36.18553, 36.72231.

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:

  • 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
    1
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • Stated location
    Sarmada, Syria
    Nearest population center
  • Location accuracy
    100 m
  • MGRS coordinate
    37SBA952069
    Military Grid Reference System

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Mar 4, 2017
  • Jan 2, 2020

  • January 3, 2017, in Sarmada, Syria, via media report. US aircraft conducted an airstrike against an Al Qaida facility. Regrettably, one civilian was unintentionally killed as a result of the strike. 306/CS425 37SBA952069

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

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition
Official source

For January 2nd-4th the Coalition publicly declared no strikes in Sarmada. However unilateral US airstrikes on al Nusra are not reported by the Coalition.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (3 children26 other protected persons)
  • Civilians reported injured
    12–24
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Confirmed
    A specific belligerent has accepted responsibility for civilian harm.
  • Known attacker
    US-led Coalition
  • Known target
    Al Qaeda/HTS

Sources (35) [ collapse]

Incident Code

CI146

Incident date

November 25, 2015

Location

الموصل‎, Mosul, Nineveh, Iraq

Geolocation

36.34585235, 43.09857692 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A high-ranking officer with the Iraq Army was the reported source for a highly contested claim – most likely Daesh propaganda – that French aircraft had bombed a school in Mosul, allegedly killing 28 pupils.

According to German news agency DPA, Brigadier-General Thanon Sabawi from the Second Division of the Iraqi Army claimed that “French aircraft today bombed Fatima Zahra Primary School in the eastern area of Mosul, in Zuhoor region, killing 28 pupils and wounding five others.”

The explosive claim led Egypt’s Grand Mufti Shawki Allam to condemn France: “This French military operation that targeted innocent civilians, children, is a mark of shame on France. It is no less abhorrent than the way terrorist organisations target innocents.”

The Nineveh Reporters Network challenged the claimed attack, insisting that ‘there has been no Coalition strike in Mosul for the past three days.’ MNB also described the claim as Daesh propaganda, while an Iraqi official told Shafaaq there was “no truth as reported by some media about the killing of a number of pupils in an aerial bombardment of a primary school by French aircraft.”

France subsequently confirmed that its aircraft had carried out a 9.30pm airstrike near Mosul the evening before, on November 24th, telling Middle East Eye that “At 19:30 French time [21:30 local time] four Rafale fighter jets from an aircraft carrier stationed in the eastern Mediterranean, along with some US aircraft, dropped 20 bombs on an IS command centre“ at nearby Tal Afar.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian infrastructure
    School
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    28
  • Civilians reported injured
    5
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Discounted
    Those killed were combatants, or other parties most likely responsible.
  • Suspected attacker
    US-led Coalition

Sources (14) [ collapse]

US-led Coalition Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition
  • US-led Coalition position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition
Official source

For November 25th-26th 2015, the Coalition reported that “Near Mosul, five strikes struck three separate ISIL tactical units and an ISIL checkpoint and destroyed five ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL vehicle, and an ISIL building.”

Summary

  • Civilian infrastructure
    School
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    28
  • Civilians reported injured
    5
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Discounted
    Those killed were combatants, or other parties most likely responsible.
  • Suspected attacker
    US-led Coalition

Sources (14) [ collapse]

Incident Code

CS172 RS622

Incident date

February 15, 2016

Location

الشدادي, Al-Shadadi, Al-Hasakah, Syria

Geolocation

36.408116, 40.3085589

Airwars assessment

Reported airstrikes by the Coalition or possibly Russia on al Shadadi between midnight and dawn struck a bakery in the city killing at least 15 civilians, according to multiple reports.

Shaam News and the Syrian Network said the civilians died in a Coalition strike as they queued to buy bread at Auto Bakery, although other sources said those killed were bakery staff.

Al A’maq Media (close to Daesh) initially blamed the attack on Russia but later noted: “Correction: a Source to al A’maq: the raids that destroyed the bakery of Shadadi killing 15 of its staff was carried out by international coalition planes, not Russian planes.” The VDC attributes the attack to Russia.

In a lengthy report [in Arabic] on the attack, the Damascus Center later cited eyewitness Nabila um Khaled: “We were standing in front of the oven waiting to get the bread, everyone present was a civilian. The day before we didn’t leave the house for fear of bombing from the air… We looked to the sky and saw three or more planes flying in the air, their color almost cyan [light blue]. After less than a minute we started to tell each other that we had to leave the place and run away, because the aircraft were flying at low altitudes. But we did not have time to move. After less than a minute, as I said what we saw was a rocket hit the oven building where people were lined up. Those at the front of the line are the victims who died in the massacre. My sister and I were standing at the back, I was hit by shrapnel, and my sister was left in a serious condition, though she is now improving.”

The Coalition later appeared to confirm it had carried out strikes in the vicinity, saying it had destroyed ‘an ISIL building’ near Al Hassakah. Heavy airstrikes had been recorded in the town in preceding days, given an imminent ground assault to recapture Al Shadadi from Daesh. In contrast, Russia did not publicly report carrying out airstrikes in Al Hassakah governorate.

The Daily Beast later reported that “U.S. Central Command, which leads the U.S. military in the Middle East, is investigating the latest allegations of civilian deaths to determine if they are credible and conduct a proper military investigation, Lt. Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., commander, U.S. Air Forces Central Command, told Pentagon reporters during a briefing Thursday….Brown said he could not say whether the coalition was conducting strikes at the same time residents were alleged to have come under attack, but he noted that coalition forces “have been striking that area for the past several days.”’

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Yousef Anwar
Age unknown male killed
Mohammad Anwar
Age unknown male killed
Taha Khleif
Age unknown male killed
Mohammad al-Haboud
Age unknown male killed
Ahmad al-Mekhlef
Age unknown male killed
Mahmoud Mustafa al-Khallouf
Age unknown male killed
Alaa Hussain Dkheil al-Kreiei
Age unknown male killed
Qahtan al-Elwi al-Suleiman
Age unknown male killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    14 – 28
  • (4 children1 woman8 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    15–24
  • 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, Russian Military

Sources (25) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (4) [ collapse]

  • Kahtan Al A’lawi Al Sleiman (via Hassakah Youth Movement)
  • Taha Ajaj and Louai Jazzar (via Hassakah Youth Movement)
  • A photo published by activists of the martyr Ala’a Hussein Al Dakheel (via Hassaka’s Youth Union)

US-led Coalition Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition
  • US-led Coalition position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition
Official source

For February 15th-16th 2016, the Coalition reports that “Near Al Hasakah, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL building.”

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    14 – 28
  • (4 children1 woman8 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    15–24
  • 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, Russian Military

Sources (25) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS622

Incident date

February 15, 2016

Location

الشدادي, Al Shadadi, Hassakah, Syria

Geolocation

36.056135, 40.72859 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Reported airstrikes by the Coalition or possibly Russia on al Shadadi between midnight and dawn struck a bakery in the city killing at least 15 civilians, according to multiple reports.

Shaam News and the Syrian Network said the civilians died in a Coalition strike as they queued to buy bread at an auto bakery, although other sources said those killed were bakery staff. Al A’maq Media (close to Daesh) initially blamed the attack on Russia but later noted: “Correction: a Source to al A’maq: the raids that destroyed the bakery of Shadadi killing 15 of its staff was carried out by international coalition planes, not Russian planes.” The VDC attributed the attack to Russia.

In a lengthy report [in Arabic] on the attack, the Damascus Center later cited eyewitness Nabila um Khaled: “We were standing in front of the oven waiting to get the bread, everyone present was a civilian. The day before we didn’t leave the house for fear of bombing from the air… We looked to the sky and saw three or more planes flying in the air, their color almost cyan [light blue]. After less than a minute we started to tell each other that we had to leave the place and run away, because the aircraft were flying at low altitudes. But we did not have time to move. After less than a minute, as I said what we saw was a rocket hit the oven building where people were lined up. Those at the front of the line are the victims who died in the massacre. My sister and I were standing at the back, I was hit by shrapnel, and my sister was left in a serious condition, though she is now improving.”

The Coaliton later appeared to confirm it had carried out strikes in the vicinity, saying it had destroyed ‘an ISIL building’ near Al Hassakah. Heavy airstrikes had been recorded in the town in preceding days, given an imminent ground assault to recapture Al Shadadi from Daesh. In contrast, Russia did not publicly report carrying out airstrikes in Al Hassakah governorate.

Ten adult civilian male dead were later named.

The Daily Beast later reported that “U.S. Central Command, which leads the U.S. military in the Middle East, is investigating the latest allegations of civilian deaths to determine if they are credible and conduct a proper military investigation, Lt. Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., commander, U.S. Air Forces Central Command, told Pentagon reporters during a briefing Thursday….Brown said he could not say whether the coalition was conducting strikes at the same time residents were alleged to have come under attack, but he noted that coalition forces “have been striking that area for the past several days.”’

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Yousef Anwar
Adult male Named by VDC killed
Mohammad Anwar
Adult male Named by VDC killed
Taha Khleif
Adult male Named by VDC killed
Mohammad al-Haboud
Adult male Named by VDC killed
Ahmad al-Mekhlef
Adult male Named by VDC killed
Mahmoud Mustafa al-Khallouf
Adult male Named by VDC killed
Ala’a Hussain Dkheil al-Kreiei
Adult male Named by VDC killed
Qahtan al-Alawi al-Suleiman
Adult male Named by VDC killed
Taha Ajaj
Age unknown male killed
Louai Jazzar
Age unknown male killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    15 – 28
  • (4 children1 woman8–10 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    15–24
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, US-led Coalition

Sources (29) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]

  • Taha Ajaj and Louai Jazzar, killed in an alleged Russian and Coalition strike. (via Hassakah Youth Movement)
  • Supposed picture of Kahtan Al A’lawi Al Sleiman, killed in an alleged Russian and Coalition strike. (via, Hasakhn News)

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Supposed picture of Ala’a Hussein Al Dakheel, killed in an alleged Russian and Coalition strike. (via, Hasakhn News)

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

Russian Military
Official source

In its report for February 10th – February 16th, Russia made no public mention of airstrikes in Al Hasskah.

US-led Coalition Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition
  • US-led Coalition position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    15 – 28
  • (4 children1 woman8–10 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    15–24
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, US-led Coalition

Sources (29) [ collapse]

Incident Code

CI029

Incident date

January 21, 2015

Location

الكسك, Kisik Junction, Nineveh, Iraq

Geolocation

36.4618824, 42.6849747

Airwars assessment

A Canadian airstrike at Kisik Junction was alleged to have killed between 6 and 27 civilians, according to an internal CENTCOM report. The source was an English-speaking peshmerga fighter, who had passed on his concerns to Coalition Special Forces based in Iraq.

The Canadian attack had targeted “an ISIL sniper/ HMG [havy machine gun] position on the roof of a building within an ISIL-occupied compound, which correlates with the alleged report.”

A Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) spokesman told Airwars in August 2015 that Canada’s own investigation of the incident – which involved reviewing video and strike records – had concluded there was no case to answer: “The review uncovered no evidence of civilian casualties. Furthermore, it was re-confirmed that the target was a valid military objective from which ISIS was firing a heavy machine gun at Iraqi Kurdish troops. The area in question is still within ISIS held territory.”

Reuters reported on the airstrikes at the time (naming the town as Kiske) but made no mention of civilian deaths. The Kurdish regional Government also later claimed that 200 ISIL fighters had died in a successful peshmerga assault on the town which had begun on January 21st.

Canada had been singled out by Airwars in August 2015 as the most transparent member of the international Coalition. Even so, CAF took more than eight months to publicly admit to possible civilian casualties at Kisik Junction. The Globe and Mail has also reported that Defence Minister Jason Kenney was “never made aware” of the allegations.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6 – 27
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attacker
    US-led Coalition

Sources (9) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Grab from a Reuters video detailing the Iraqi assault on Kisik Junction, January 21 2015

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
    a:1:{i:0;s:5:"other";}
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • Stated location
    Kisik JuNtion, Iraq
    Nearest population center

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • May 1, 2015

  • Peshmerga soldier alleged that between 6 and 27 civilians were killed on 21 Jan as a result of a coalition strike IVO Kisik JuNtion. A Canadian strike (CF18) struck an ISIL sniper/HMG position on the roof of a building within an ISIL-occupied compound, which collates with the alleged report. … under the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) there are no obligations for the CAF to conduct an investigation. CAF assessed as N.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

COALITION-ASSESSED CASUALTY INCIDENT

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6 – 27
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attacker
    US-led Coalition

Sources (9) [ collapse]

Incident Code

CS1383 ISSY001

Incident date

August 17, 2017

Location

الشجرة, Al Shajra, Daraa, Syria

Geolocation

32.774031, 35.883493 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Up to 27 civilians were reported killed in airstrikes on the town of Al Shajra in western Daraa.

According to Daraa Martyrs Documentation Center, 32 “mostly civilians” were killed when positions of Jaish Khalid bin Walid, a Salafi jihadist group, were targeted. The report claimed that the Coalition launched a long-range missile, which “targeted the Islamic Court of Khalid Bin Al-Waleed Army”.

Ten detainees who were held in the court’s prison were killed in the attack, according to the Center. It noted another 17 civilians who were killed as they were in the near vicinity of the strike. Five members of the “army Khalid bin Walid” were also reported killed.

Zaman al Wasl quoted a local activist who stated that four missiles struck the court, “likely targeting a meeting of leaders”. According to Enab Baladi, “The last of the group’s Emirs was Abu Tim Enkhl, who was killed yesterday (Thursday, August 17) by an air raid on the village of Al-Shajara in the Yarmouk basin.”

Shaam News reported that “activists said that the raid targeted the court and led to the martyrdom of a number of civilians who were imprisoned in the court on charges of belonging to the Free Syrian Army. A number of civilians were killed while in court for other reasons.”

Shaam added that “Many of the dead were killed in the prison, including relatives of the founder of the Yarmouk Martyrs’ Brigade, Muhammad Saad al-Din al-Baridi, known as the “Khal”, who established the presence of the brigade in the western countryside and was killed nearly two years previously in a suicide attack. His relatives had been jailed in the wake of internal disputes within the organization, after receiving information about their intention to carry out a military coup.”

Orient noted that either the Coalition or Israel was responsible for an attack on what it described as the “Khaled bin Al-Walid Army” in Sharja, but was alone in saying this. Al Shaam mentioned that Coalition raids led to “the deaths of a number of martyrs and wounded civilians” but did not identify a specific number of casualties.

The Coalition itself did not publicly report any raids on the province on this date.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    17 – 27
  • (1 man10 other protected persons)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • 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
    US-led Coalition, Israeli Military
  • Suspected target
    Other
  • Belligerents reported killed
    5

Sources (9) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]

  • Aftermath of reported Coalition or Israeli missile strike on al Sharja (via Mohamad Abazeed)
  • Aftermath of reported Coalition or Israeli missile strike on al Sharja (via Mohamad Abazeed)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Al Shajra (الشجرة), for which the generic coordinates are: 32.774031, 35.883493. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

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
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

The Coalition did not publicly report any airstrikes in the Daraa governorate for August 16th-17th and Augustu 17th-18th.

French Military
  • English
    /
    Original
Official source

For Aug 9-15th, France report 2 strikes in Raqqah, Syria – and 13 artillery missions in Mosul.

French Military
  • English
    /
    Original
Official source

In the past week, (11th-18th) France conducted 27 sorties, including 22 armed reconnaissance and ground support (CAS), 1 refueling outlet and 4 intelligence gathering sorties by Atlantic 2 or Rafale patrols. Two strikes were carried out in the Raqqah region of Syria. They helped support the Syrian democratic forces in their offensive to retake the city.

‘OPÉRATION CHAMMAL SITUATION En Syrie, A Raqqah, la progression des forces démocratiques syriennes se poursuit. Au sud de la ville, la manœuvre de tenaille, amorcée il y a 15 jours, s’est achevée en fin de semaine dernière. Elle a permis de réaliser la jonction des fronts est et ouest. Depuis, les forces démocratiques syriennes ont relancé une offensive vers le centre de la ville mais elles font face à une défense acharnée des combattants de Daech. En Irak, Les forces de sécurité irakiennes poursuivent leurs opérations dans l’objectif de libérer, à terme, le nord de l’Irak. Actuellement, elles focalisent leur effort sur l’encerclement de la ville de Tall Afar. Les combattants de l’organisation terroriste réalisent un travail de valorisation de leurs positions défensives pour se préparer aux combats à venir alors que les populations tentent de fuir la ville. ACTIVITÉS DE LA FORCE Les soldats de l’opération Chammal poursuive leur mission d’appui au profit des unités irakiennes engagées contre Daech. Cette semaine, sur le théâtre, les aéronefs ont réalisé 27 sorties aériennes dont 22 de reconnaissance armée et d’appui au sol (CAS), 1 sortie de ravitaillement ainsi que 4 sorties de recueil de renseignement par Atlantique 2 ou patrouille de Rafale. Deux frappes ont été conduites dans la région de Raqqah en Syrie. Elles ont permis d’appuyer les forces démocratiques syriennes dans leur offensive pour reprendre la ville. La Task Force (TF) Wagram a mené de son côté 13 missions de tir en appui de la 15e division à l’ouest de Mossoul vers Tal Afar. En particulier, les artilleurs ont fourni des feux de harcèlement et d’éclairement pour interdire aux combattants de Daech de mener des actions au sol ou de réaliser des tirs indirects contre les positions irakiennes. Le bilan global de l’activité aérienne depuis le 19 septembre 2014 s’élève 1330 frappes, 2102 objectifs détruits et 6946 sorties. ‘

Israeli Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    17 – 27
  • (1 man10 other protected persons)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • 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
    US-led Coalition, Israeli Military
  • Suspected target
    Other
  • Belligerents reported killed
    5

Sources (9) [ collapse]

Incident Code

CI484

Incident date

February 25, 2017

Location

Mosul, West / Right side, 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 said that 27 civilians were killed, including women and children, and 63 were injured by Coalition airstrikes and artillery bombing on several neighborhoods at the right side of Mosul.

Sawif Ateka published a photograph of an unnamed little girl who it said died in shelling on the Al-Zinjili neighbourhood.

In its June casualty report, the Coalition confirmed that “During a strike on an ISIS VBIED, it was assessed that five civilians were unintentionally killed.” However the coordinates provided to Airwars – 36.324100, 43.127258 placed this event at Wadi Hajar (Arabic: وادي حجر) neighbourhood in Mosul. Given that this location is 4.6km from Rifai, and 3.3 from Zinjili, it may refer to a separate incident.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    27
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    63
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attacker
    US-led Coalition

Sources (8) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Picture of one of the supposed victims (via Sawif 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
  • Location accuracy
    100 m
  • MGRS coordinate
    38SLF306246
    Military Grid Reference System

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Jul 26, 2018

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

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition
Official source

For February 24th-25th the Coalition publicly reported: “Near Mosul, five strikes engaged three ISIS tactical units and an ISIS sniper unit; destroyed nine fighting positions, eight mortar systems, five ISIS-held buildings, four command and control nodes, three VBIED facilities, three tactical vehicles, two vehicles, two artillery systems, two anti-air artillery systems, a rocket-propelled grenade system, a UAV storage facility, a front-end loader, a VBIED staging area and a supply cache; damaged 12 supply routes and four ISIS-held buildings; and suppressed 22 mortars and an artillery system.”

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    27
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    63
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attacker
    US-led Coalition

Sources (8) [ collapse]