Geolocation
Airwars assessment
At least five and as many as 20 civilians were reported killed and 53 injured after heavy alleged Coalition, Russian and/or Syrian regime night time strikes on Raqqa. Most sources allege that these were Coalition and regime raids – with the Coalition responsible for those after midnight and the regime for early morning strikes.
Coalition aircraft were reportedly flying in the vicinity immediately prior to the first attack, which happened just before midnight. One of those targeted was Fawaz al-Hassan, alias Abu Ali al Sahri, a Shariah judge in the city who had terrorised the civilian population.
However, one source, the Syrian Network for Human Rights, reported that Russia was to blame. The initial SN4HR report said: “On 10 April 2016, alleged Russian warplanes shelled missiles at Al Thaqana in Al Raqqa city under the control of ISIL which killed 5 individuals from one family including 1 female child and a woman.” SN4HR subsequently reported that “alleged Russian warplanes” fired missiles which targeted the National Hospital in the Al Thakana neighborhood in the center of the city, killing three civilians, including two women, one of whom was a nurse. They added that the northern part of the building was destroyed and the hospital out of service.
However Raqqa is being Slaughtered attributed the attacks to both Coalition and Assad regime aircraft:
“Coalition planes targeted the city around 04:40am and regime planes targeted the city around 08:30am and between them the raids targeted the following areas:
1-municipal stadium
2-the teachers’ residential building near the pool
3-the commerical shops near the youth club
4-the obstertrics hospital
5-the women’s art school
6- two raids targeted al Nai’m the first on the roundabout and the second the MTN building
7-a building opposite the chamber of commerce
8-the new Party building near the national hospital
9-Al Ri’aya building
10- a building near al Fatat [the girl] school.
11-a building near the modern medicine hospital [which contains a generator and the raid led to the fuel burning]
It is noteworthy that water and electricity to the city have been cut off, and the city is empty of people as a result of fear of warplanes.”
Shaam News also reported that “Coalition aircraft launched about 19 raids and Assad’s planes about eight.”
The IS agency Al Amaq also blamed the Coalition.
In the first of their March 2020 civilian casualty reports, the US-led Coalition assessed reports that they were responsible for civilian harm in this strike as “non-credible”, stating that no Coalition actions were conducted in the geographical area at that time.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Family members (2)
Family members (3)
Family members (2)
The victims were named as:
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention the city of Ar Raqqah (الرقة), for which the generic coordinates are: 35.9505639, 39.0094148. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.
Summary
Sources (25) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (24) [ collapse]
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The aftermath of the contested airstrikes on Thaqana, Raqqa, April 10th (via RBSS)
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Aftermath of the contested airstrikes in Thaqana, Raqqa (Via RBSS facebook page)
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Victim of the contested airstrikes in Thaqana, Raqqa, Haj Wahab Al Khalif (via RBSS facebook page)
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Victim of the contested airstrikes in Thaqana, Raqqa, Ahmad al Khalif, son of Hajj Wahib al-Khalif (via RBSS facebook page)
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Victim of the contested airstrikes in Thaqana, Ragga, Mahmoud Ibrahim al Khazim (via RBSS Facebook page)
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Aftermath of the raids in Thaqana, Raqqa (via RBSS facebook page)
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Aftermath of the raids in Thaqana, Raqqa (via RBSS facebook page)
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Airstrikes targeting Thaqana, Raqqa (via RBSS facebook page)
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Aftermath of the raids in Thaqana, Raqqa (via RBSS facebook page)
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Aftermath of the strikes targeting Thaqana, Raqqa (via RBSS facebook page)
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Aftermath of the airstrikes targeting Thaqana, Raqqa (via RBSS facebook page)
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Aftermath of the airstrikes targeting Thaqana, Raqqa (via RBSS facebook page)
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This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Aftermath of the airstrikes targeting Thaqana, Raqqa (via RBSS facebook page) -
This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.
Photo of a child killed following the air raids in Thaqana, Raqqa (via RBSS facebook page) -
Image of the immediate aftermaths after airstrikes targeted al-Raqqa (via RBSS)
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Image of the immediate aftermath of the airstrikes targeting al-Raqqa (via RBSS)
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Aftermath of the airstrikes targeting al-Raqqa (via RBSS)
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Aftermath of the airstrikes targeting al-Raqqa (via RBSS)
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Aftermath of the airstrikes targeting al-Raqqa (via RBSS)
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Aftermath of the airstrikes targeting al-Raqqa (via RBSS)
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Aftermath of the airstrikes targeting al-Raqqa (via RBSS)
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Aftermath of the airstrikes targeting al-Raqqa (via RBSS)
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Immediate aftermath of the airstrikes targeting al-Raqqa (via RBSS)
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.
Unknown Assessment:
Original strike reports
The Kremlin has issued no public accounts of airstrikes in Syria from April 1st – 30th.
US-led Coalition Assessment:
Civilian casualty statements
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April 10, 2016, in Raqqah, Syria, via Airwars report. After a review of all available records it was assessed that no Coalition actions were conducted in the geographical area that corresponds to the report of civilian casualties. 2944/CS201 37SEV008784
Original strike reports
Coalition position:
For April 8th-9th: “Near Ar Raqqah, two strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units, and destroyed a fighting position and tactical vehicle.”
For April 9th-10th: the Coalition did not report any strikes near Raqqa. It noted that “Near Tabqah, 14 strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit; destroyed five vehicles, two fighting positions, and a VBIED; and suppressed an ISIS tactical unit.”
For April 10th-11th: “Near Ar Raqqah, three strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit.”