Geolocation
Airwars assessment
Reports claimed that ‘artillery shelling’ took place on At Watani hospital, Raqqa. The citizen journalist group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently attributed the event to International Coalition Forces and the SDF, as did multiple other sources.
According to a Facebook post from Al Hassaka Rasd the ambulance section of the hospital was “subjected to heavy artillery shelling, which led to the death of a number of martyrs.” Media activist Mohammed Osman reporting in conjunction with the Syrianvoice said that the shelling had killed ‘three cleaners’ in the hospital. According to the Syrianvoice the hospital is guarded by the forces of Qusd which control the outskirts of Al-Watani. The shelling has resulted in significant material destruction.
All sources point towards the Coalition carrying out an air or artillery strike. Airwars understands that only the Coalition has access to artillery in Raqqa.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
Summary
Sources (7) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention the Raqqa national hospital (المستشفى الوطني), for which the coordinates are: 35.949994, 39.003815.
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.
US-led Coalition Assessment:
Civilian casualty statements
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After a review of available information it was assessed that no Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area that correspond to the report of civilian casualties.
Original strike reports
For August 6th-7th the Coalition have reported: “Near Raqqah, 24 strikes engaged 11 ISIS tactical units and destroyed 30 fighting positions, two vehicles, two command and control nodes, two mortar systems, a tunnel, a heavy machine gun, an IED facility, and a VBIED facility; and damaged six fighting positions.” It additionally reporeted that “On Aug. 6, near Raqqah, Syria, 12 strikes engaged eight ISIS tactical units and destroyed six fighting positions, a mortar system, an anti-air artillery system, and a VBIED.” And that “On Aug. 6, near Raqqah, Syria, one strike destroyed 10 ISIS fighting positions and two mortar systems.”
For August 3rd-9th, France report 1 strike in Iraq and 1 in Syria, along with 9 artillery strikes in Mosul. (via EtatMajorFR)
France reports that in the past week (4th -11th) it carried out 31 sorties, including 24 Army reconnaissance and Ground Support (CAS), as well as 4 intelligence reports by Atlantic 2 or Rafale patrol. Two strikes were carried out in the Hassaka region of Syria and the Al Qaim region of Iraq. They destroyed ISIL storage sites and weapons caches.
‘Point de situation des opérations ARMÉE FRANÇAISE – OPÉRATIONS MILITAIRES·FRIDAY, 11 AUGUST 2017 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, qui permettra de joindre les fronts est et ouest, demeure freinée par la résistance de Daech. Les combattants du groupe terroriste utilisent les réseaux de tunnels et les véhicules suicide chargés d’explosifs pour conduire des actions de harcèlement, et piègent systématiquement le terrain cédé. En Irak, Les forces de sécurité irakiennes poursuivent le nettoyage et la dépollution de la ville de Mossoul. Dans le reste du territoire, alors que Daech tente de poursuivre ses actions de harcèlement, les opérations de sécurisation mobilisent largement les forces irakiennes. Dans la vallée de l’Anbar et dans la région d’Hawijah, les opérations ont permis de déceler et de détruire des caches de munitions et de nombreux engins explosifs improvisés. ACTIVITÉS DE LA FORCE Le 3 août s’est achevée une séquence de relève des avions de Chammal. Celle-ci a signé la fin du premier déploiement du plot mixte Rafale marine et air. Ce sont désormais 6 avions Rafale de l’armée de l’air qui constituent le volet chasse présent en Jordanie. Cette semaine, sur le théâtre, les aéronefs ont réalisé 31 sorties aériennes dont 24 de reconnaissance armée et d’appui au sol (CAS), ainsi que 4 sorties de recueil de renseignement par Atlantique 2 ou patrouille de Rafale. Deux frappes ont été conduites dans la région de Hassaka en Syrie et dans la région d’Al Qaim. Elles ont permis de détruire des sites de stockage et des caches d’armes. La Task Force (TF) Wagram a mené de son côté 6 missions de tir de harcèlement en appui de la 15e division à l’ouest de Mossoul vers Tal Afar, pour prévenir les infiltrations ennemies sur les positions irakiennes. Le bilan global de l’activité aérienne depuis le 19 septembre 2014 s’élève à 1 322 frappes, 2095 objectifs détruits et 6919 sorties.