Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Belligerent
Country
Libya
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Incident Code

Lib2011-072

Incident date

April 20, 2011

Location

خلة الفرجان, Khallet Al Furjan, Tripoli, Libya

Geolocation

32.795738, 13.217038 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Seven civilians were reported killed and 18 other injured in Tripoli as a result of NATO bombing.

Arab Anger Revolution claimed that “NATO aircraft launched two air raids on the Libyan capital Tripoli on Wednesday evening, killing several people. Government television said seven people were killed and 18 others wounded when four rockets were fired at the Furjan area of ​​the capital.”

NATO itself reported six strikes on that day on “2 heavy equipment transporters, 3 armored vehicles” and “1 ammunition storage site” but did not admit to any civilian harm.

According to independent monitors, throughout the NATO campaign civilian casualty numbers provided by the Gaddafi regime were reportedly inflated.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    7
  • Civilians reported injured
    18
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Known attacker
    NATO forces
  • Suspected target
    Gaddafi forces

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

  • Reports of the incident mention the neighbourhood of Khallet Al Furjan (خلة الفرجان).

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

NATO forces Assessment:

  • Known belligerent
    NATO forces
  • NATO forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

NATO forces
Official source

In the vicinity of Tripoli: 2 heavy equipment transporters, 3 armored vehicles, 1 ammunition storage site.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    7
  • Civilians reported injured
    18
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Known attacker
    NATO forces
  • Suspected target
    Gaddafi forces

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Incident Code

Lib2011-057

Incident date

April 1, 2011

Location

مرسى البريقة, Brega, Al Wahat, Libya

Geolocation

30.411123, 19.570076 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Between six and seven civilians were reported killed in a NATO airstrike in the outskirts of Brega.

The BBC wrote: “A direct hit on an ammunition truck and trailer in a street in Zawia el Argobe sent a hail of shrapnel into nearby houses, [Dr Refardi] said. Four of the dead were female, including three children from the same family, aged between 12 and 16, the BBC’s Ben Brown reports from Brega.

“Dr Refardi said he had spoken to the family of the girls who had been killed and ‘there was no anger’ at the coalition forces. ‘If these tanks had entered Ajdabiya it would have been a massacre,’ he said. ‘They [the Libyan people] are expecting more than this, because they know the Gaddafi forces are using civilians as a shield.’

“Nato officials told the BBC they were making inquiries ‘down our operations chain to find out if indeed there is any information on the operation side that would support this claim’. Later, Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said six civilians had been killed by the ‘immoral’ air strike, and described it as a ‘crime against humanity’.”

The BBC added that 25 people were injured in the attack, while RT Arabic said most of those harmed were children.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6 – 7
  • (3–4 children1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    25
  • 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
    NATO forces
  • Suspected target
    Gaddafi forces

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Brega (البريقة), for which the generic coordinates are: 30.411123, 19.570076. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

NATO forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    NATO forces
  • NATO forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6 – 7
  • (3–4 children1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    25
  • 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
    NATO forces
  • Suspected target
    Gaddafi forces

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Incident Code

Lib2011-128

Incident date

July 22, 2011

Location

مرسى البريقة, Brega, Al Wahat, Libya

Geolocation

30.411123, 19.570076 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Six guards at a concrete pipe factory were reportedly killed in a NATO airstrike on Brega. No further details about the guards were provided, although multiple sources mentioned that three missiles struck the facility.

Reuters reported: “Six guards were killed in an air strike on Friday on a pipeline factory just south of the eastern city of Brega, a Libyan official said.

‘This will be a major setback for future projects and a major problem for maintenance,’ Abdul Hakim al-Shuhaidi, director of the state-run Libyan River Company, which runs the country’s giant irrigation project, told reporters in Tripoli.”

BBC News also quoted Abdul Hakim al-Shuhaidi, who stated the bombings “will represent a major setback for future projects”.

A Youtube video and another Facebook post shows the damage of the bombings, including ruins of buildings and broken concrete pipes.

NATO itself reported hitting “1 Military Storage Facility, 4 Armed Vehicles” near Brega on July 22.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6
  • (6 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.
  • Known attacker
    NATO forces
  • Known target
    Gaddafi forces

Sources (8) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (9) [ collapse]

  • The video shows the results of the NATO bombing on the Brega factory, which produced concrete pipes, colloquially known as the "Great Man Made River" pipes. Video was dated July 23rd, 2011, and uploaded to the Inomine X Youtube channel.
  • Image shows the results of a NATO bombing on the Brega concrete pipes factory. Image taken the Facebook post of a worker at the Al Naher Al Sina’ company, dated December 4, 2015.
  • Image shows an empty lot, the results of a NATO bombing on the Brega concrete pipes factory. Image taken the Facebook post of a worker at the Al Naher Al Sina’ company, dated December 4, 2015.
  • Image shows a destroyed concrete pipe, the results of a NATO bombing on the Brega concrete pipes factory. Image taken the Facebook post of a worker at the Al Naher Al Sina’ company, dated December 4, 2015.
  • Image shows rubble, the results of a NATO bombing on the Brega concrete pipes factory. Image taken the Facebook post of a worker at the Al Naher Al Sina’ company, dated December 4, 2015.
  • Image shows the the entrance sign of the Brega concrete pipes factory, bombed by NATO. Image taken the Facebook post of a worker at the Al Naher Al Sina’ company, dated December 4, 2015.
  • Image shows an empty building, the results of a NATO bombing on the Brega concrete pipes factory. Image taken the Facebook post of a worker at the Al Naher Al Sina’ company, dated December 4, 2015.
  • Image shows the inside of a concrete pipe. Image taken the Facebook post of a worker at the Al Naher Al Sina’ company, dated December 4, 2015.
  • Image shows a truck backhaul and strewn tires, the results of a NATO bombing on the Brega concrete pipes factory. Image taken the Facebook post of a worker at the Al Naher Al Sina’ company, dated December 4, 2015.

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention a pipeline factory being struck, allegedly in the town of Brega (مرسى البريقة). Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further. The generic coordinates for Brega are: 30.411123, 19.57007

NATO forces Assessment:

  • Known belligerent
    NATO forces
  • NATO forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

NATO forces
Official source

In the vicinity of Brega: 1 Military Storage Facility, 4 Armed Vehicles

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6
  • (6 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.
  • Known attacker
    NATO forces
  • Known target
    Gaddafi forces

Sources (8) [ collapse]

Incident Code

Lib2011-031

Incident date

March 11, 2011

Location

مرسى البريقة, Brega, Sirte, Libya

Geolocation

30.411123, 19.570076 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A single source reported on Twitter that six civilians were killed in an airstrike by the Gaddafi regime on Brega.

Aban Idris said: “News of the martyrdom of 6 by aerial bombardment of Brega.”

Al Jazeera and France24 also reported airstrikes, but it is unclear if these were in the direct vicinity of Brega.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Gaddafi Forces
  • Suspected targets
    Libyan rebel forces, Unknown

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Brega (مرسى البريقة), for which the generic coordinates are: 30.411123, 19.570076. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Gaddafi Forces Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Gaddafi Forces
  • Suspected targets
    Libyan rebel forces, Unknown

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Incident Code

Lib2011-091

Incident date

May 12, 2011

Location

طرابلس‎, Tripoli, Libya

Geolocation

32.886602, 13.190912 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Six possible civilian fatalities were reported in a NATO airstrike on Tripoli at or near one of Gaddafi’s compounds.

Al Jazeera reported that “A series of explosions rocked early at dawn today in the center of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, in the vicinity of Bab al-Aziziyah, the headquarters of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, after a raid by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).”

Matelo0ove said: “Six people killed and 10 others wounded in air strikes in Libya: In new Libyan developments, a delegation of members of the National Council is visiting.” Other sources published similar accounts. However almost all media only described ‘people’

NATO itself said it had struck ” 2 Surface-To-Air Missile Launchers, 3 Buildings inside a military camp” on that day without admitting to any civilian harm.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0 – 6
  • Civilians reported injured
    0–10
  • 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.
  • Known attacker
    NATO forces
  • Known target
    Gaddafi forces

Sources (7) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the city of Tripoli (طرابلس‎), for which the generic coordinates are: 32.886602, 13.190912. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

NATO forces Assessment:

  • Known belligerent
    NATO forces
  • NATO forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

NATO forces
Official source

In the vicinity of Tripoli: 2 Surface-To-Air Missile Launchers, 3 Buildings inside a military camp.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0 – 6
  • Civilians reported injured
    0–10
  • 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.
  • Known attacker
    NATO forces
  • Known target
    Gaddafi forces

Sources (7) [ collapse]

Incident Code

Lib2011-049

Incident date

March 24, 2011

Location

مصراتة, Misurata, Libya

Geolocation

32.374457, 15.087794 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A mother and her four children were reportedly killed by Gaddafi regime shelling on Misurata.

Al Manara TV noted: “Gaddafi forces on Friday continued to bomb Misurata east of Tripoli, killing one woman and her four children while a doctor at the city hospital on Thursday said 109 martyrs and 1,300 were wounded in a week in the city. ‘There is no electricity or water, and the city is starting to lack everything,’ another witness said.'”

No additional sources are known for this event.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • (4 children1 woman)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Gaddafi Forces
  • Suspected target
    Unknown

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the city of Misurata (مصراتة), for which the generic coordinates are: 32.374457, 15.087794. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Gaddafi Forces Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • (4 children1 woman)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Gaddafi Forces
  • Suspected target
    Unknown

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Incident Code

Lib2011-067

Incident date

April 12, 2011

Location

ككلة‎, Kikla, Jabal al Gharbi, Libya

Geolocation

32.068305, 12.693740 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A single source reported that civilians were killed in a NATO airstrike on Kikla.

According to Rassd News: “Monitoring Libyan TV: NATO air raid on the town of ‘Kikla’ south of Tripoli, killing civilians and policemen.”

NATO did not report any airstrikes near Kikla on that day.

There is currently no further known information for this event.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 5
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    NATO forces
  • Suspected targets
    Gaddafi forces, Other

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Kikla ( ككلة‎ ), for which the generic coordinates are: 32.068305, 12.69374. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

NATO forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    NATO forces
  • NATO forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 5
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    NATO forces
  • Suspected targets
    Gaddafi forces, Other

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Incident Code

Lib2011-071

Incident date

April 20, 2011

Location

بئر الغنم, Bi'r al Ghanam, Zawiya, Libya

Geolocation

32.311608, 12.569035 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Four civilians were reported killed in a NATO airstrike on Bi’r al Ghanam near Tripoli.

Arab Anger Revolution posted on Facebook that “Earlier, four people were killed in the Bi’r al-Ghanam area, southwest of the capital, after an airstrike by the alliance on civilian and military targets.”

NATO did not report airstrikes in the area on that day.

There is currently no further known public information available for this event.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    NATO forces
  • Suspected targets
    Gaddafi forces, Other

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Bi’r al Ghanam (بئر الغنم), for which the generic coordinates are: 32.311608, 12.569035. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

NATO forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    NATO forces
  • NATO forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    NATO forces
  • Suspected targets
    Gaddafi forces, Other

Sources (1) [ collapse]