Geolocation
Airwars assessment
A family of eight was killed in a Coalition airstrike on the ISIL-occupied village of Fadhiliya. CENTCOM later confirmed it had carried out the airstrikes and had killed all eight civilians.
Iraq based reporter Fazel Hawramy spoke by phone with family members in the village shortly after the event, who confirmed that eight people had died in an 8 pm strike including three children. I could see part of my nephew’s body under the rubble. All of them were dead, said Saeed. What they did to my brother [Amir’s] family was unjust, he was an olive farmer and had no connection with Daesh.
A local source revealed the family member names who were killed in the strike including three children.
According to the Guardian, local MP Mala Salem Shabak confirmed the deaths and said they were caused by air strikes, “as did a local administrator who asked not to be named because he still has relatives inside the village and fears Isis has not been fully routed there.
In an initial statement to the Guardian seen by Airwars, the Coalition confirmed it had opened an investigation into the incident: The Coalition confirms it did conduct strikes on 22 OCT 16 in the area described in the allegation. The Coalition takes all allegations of civilian casualties seriously and will further investigate this report to determine the facts. The Coalition adheres to stringent targeting processes and procedures aimed to minimise risks to non-combatants. Extraordinary efforts are made by the Coalition to identify and strike appropriate targets in order to avoid non-combatant casualties. A spokesperson had previously claimed, There have been no reports of civilian casualties and no confirmed CIVCAS reports for the Mosul operation at this time.
On December 1st the Coalition conceded it had killed civilians, noting: During a strike on a building from which ISIL fighters were firing on partnered Iraqi forces, eight civilians were inadvertently killed.
In July 2019 the Coalition provided Airwars with the location of this incident, accurate to within a 100 metre box.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Family members (8)
Summary
Sources (3) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]
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This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
An image shows people removing the bodies followed an alleged Coalition airstrike on the evening of October 22nd 2016 in Fadhiliya (Picture courtesy of Fazel Hawramy)
Geolocation notes
Prior to the Coalition releasing the MGRS for this incident, Airwars had geolocated it to the nearest village at 36.5125336, 43.2689667
US-led Coalition Assessment:
Civilian casualty statements
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Oct. 22, 2016, near Fasitiyah, Iraq: During a strike on a building from which ISIL fighters were firing on partnered Iraqi forces, eight civilians were inadvertently killed.
Original strike reports
For October 22nd 2016, the Coalition reported that “Near Mosul, four strikes engaged five ISIL tactical units, 12 staging areas, six mortar systems, a rocket position and a heavy machine gun; destroyed 21 fighting positions, 10 mortar systems, eight vehicles, eight command and control nodes, seven ISIL-held buildings, five bunkers, four anti-aircraft guns, four artillery systems, three tunnels, three VBIEDs, two supply caches, two heavy machine guns, a VBIED facility and a front end loader; and damaged three VBIEDs, two tunnels, a fighting position, a repeater tower and a vehicle.“