US-led Coalition in Iraq & Syria

Civilians in the ruins of Mosul city. (Maranie R. Staab)

Belligerent
US-led Coalition
Country
Iraq
start date
end date
Civilian Harm Status
Belligerent Assessment
Declassified Documents
Infrastructure

Incident Code

CI882

Incident date

December 25, 2023

Location

حي الجزائر, Algeria region, Hilla, Babylon Province, Babil, Iraq

Airwars assessment

On the 25th of December, 2023, a declared U.S. airstrike was conducted against the headquarters of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in Hilla, central Iraq, reportedly injuring two female civilians: Shadhadan Karim Mirza, and Wasnah Maher Kahem. One member of the PMF was also killed and up to 19 other members of the PMF and other militant groups were injured.

On the 25th of December, the White House released a statement revealing that President Biden had “directed strikes against three locations utilized by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups focused specifically on unmanned aerial drone activities”.

On December 26th, US Central Command (CENTCOM) posted an acknowledgement on X / Twitter that “in response to multiple attacks against Coalition forces in Iraq and Syria, U.S. military forces launched airstrikes on multiple facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah and its affiliated groups in Iraq at around 8:45 PM (EST) on December 25th”.

During the course of the day on December 26th, Al-Jazeera stated that the US strikes had “killed one member of the Iraqi security forces and wounded 18 people, including civilians”, whilst ‘The New Arab’ reported that “at least one person was killed and 20 wounded in a U.S. strike that targeted a site belonging to the Iran-backed PMF (Hashed al-Shaabi) forces in the central city of Hilla”.

Several local news organizations also reported on the airstrike. Altaakhi News reported that “the number of wounded among the Hashd reached 8 members, in addition to killing one of them, 8 wounded from the Academy Police, two wounded from the rescue service and one wounded from the Civil Defense, in addition to the wounding of two civilians”. An identical statement on the bombing was made by ‘Observer Iraq’ and also by Rudaw News, which additionally posted a video showing the site of the bombing. On the 26th of December, ‘Jabla al Habiba’ posted several images of the wounded being treated at a local hospital.

One independent journalist, Yasser Al Shommari, posted a list of names of those harmed as a result of the airstrike, including members of the police, the Hashd and civilians. The two civilians injured were described as two “housewives”: Shadhadan Karim Mirza and Wasnah Maher Kahem, born in Babel in 1972 and in 1971 respectively. On December 26th, the news website ‘Jabla Al Khair’ also posted an image showing a Babylon Health Department document (Ministry of Health). This document contained the names of those who had been wounded in the airstrike (including Shadhadan Karim Mirza and Wasnah Maher Kahem), in addition to the name of the one individual known to have been killed.

The PMF’s information directorate, in a Facebook post dated the 26th of December, identified the man killed as a member of the ‘45th Brigade’: Derih Ali Hassan Al-Amiri, and confirmed that his funeral had taken place.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) denied that any harm to civilians had occurred as a result of the airstrike, stating “there are no indications that any civilian lives were affected”.    

The incident occured at approximately 8:45 pm local time.

The victims were named as:

Shadhadan Karim Mirza شهدان كريم مرزا
52 years old female injured
Wasnah Maher Kahem وسناء ماهر كاظم
53 years old female injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • 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
    US Forces
  • Known target
    Iraqi militias (PMUs)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    1
  • Belligerents reported injured
    18–19

Sources (20) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (14) [ collapse]

  • Source: Altaakhi news
  • Source: Ziad al Shimari
  • Source: Abdullah Al Shammari
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Jabla al Habiba
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Jabla al Habiba
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Jabla al Habiba
  • Source: Jabla al Habiba
  • Source: Jabla al Habiba
  • Source: Jabla al Habiba
  • Source: PMF media
  • Source: PMF media
  • Source: Yasser Al Shommari
  • Source: Jabla Al Khair
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

US Forces Assessment:

  • Known belligerent
    US Forces
  • US Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

US Forces

U.S. CENTCOM conducts strikes against Kataib Hezbollah terrorist group targets in Iraq

In response to multiple attacks against coalition forces in Iraq and Syria, U.S. military forces conducted airstrikes against multiple facilities used by Kataib Hezbollah and affiliated groups in Iraq at 8:45 p.m. (EST) on Dec. 25.

Earlier in the day, Iranian sponsored Kataib Hezbollah terrorists and affiliated groups attacked coalition forces at Erbil, Iraq resulting in several injuries.

Early assessments indicate that these U.S. airstrikes destroyed the targeted facilities and likely killed a number of Kataib Hezbollah militants. There are no indications that any civilian lives were affected. The U.S. military will continue to evaluate the effectiveness of these strikes.

"These strikes are intended to hold accountable those elements directly responsible for attacks on coalition forces in Iraq and Syria and degrade their ability to continue attacks. We will always protect our forces," said General Michael Erik Kurilla, U.S. Central Command Commander.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • 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
    US Forces
  • Known target
    Iraqi militias (PMUs)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    1
  • Belligerents reported injured
    18–19

Sources (20) [ collapse]

Incident Code

CI881

Incident date

June 30, 2020

Location

بين أبو زوير وحدود حي الحديثة, Between Abu Zuwair and the Al Haditha district border, Saladin, Iraq

Geolocation

35.030418, 42.790203 Note: The accuracy of this location is to District level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Up to four civilians were reported killed in Abu Zuwair, Baiji in Iraq on June 30th, 2020 when a US-led coalition drone bombed them after they carried wreckage of a US-led coalition drone that had crashed earlier on that day. Local reports said that the raid resulted in killing up to four shepherds and the destruction of the drone wreckage that they carried and their vehicle.

@firas1alhashmy reported that the US drone (MQ-1C Gray Eagle) crashed and then a number of shepherds who gathered around were killed after they were attacked by another US drone.

@MaithamAlhmdy tweeted that ” A US plane crashed in Abu Zuwair, in the depth of Baiji Island. The plane was captured by shepherds near the demarcation border with the district. Another drone chased after the shepherds and bombed their vehicle. The shelling destroyed the vehicle, killing the citizens immediately.”

@Mustafa__Kurde said that the drone crashed after carrying out an airstrike on Jabal Makhoul. “An American drone crashed in Abu Zuair area between Baiji  and Haditha, northwest of Salah al-Din, after carrying out an air strike on Jabal Makhoul.”

Yesiraq.com said that Al-A’alam Iranian TV Channel said that US drone that crashed was targeted and downed by the Iraqi resistance. Al-A’alam said “A US plane was shot down by Iraqi resistance fires in the Abu Zuwair area in the depth of Baiji Island in Salah al-Din.”

@sumeri129 said that the American airstrike came as revenge for the downed drone. “An American drone crashed, west of Baiji, followed by an American retaliatory raid targeting shepherds , who were killed. ”

Sotaliraq said that after some local shepherds caught the drone, they were bombed. They were killed as a result and Pickup vehicle was destroyed.

While most sources said those killed were sheep herders, @DrJohnHanaDahle said that those killed were found to be members of the Popular Mobilization Forces.

In the third of their September 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.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 4
  • (2–4 men)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    US-led Coalition
  • Suspected target
    Unknown

Sources (28) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • This image might not be linked to this incident.

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention a vehicle being struck between Abu Zuwair (ابو زوير) and the Al Haditha (حديثة) district border.  to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further. The generic coordinates for Abu Zuwair are: 35.030418, 42.790203.

  • Reports of the incident mention a vehicle being struck between Abu Zuwair (ابو زوير) and the Al Haditha (حديثة) district border.

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

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
    No Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • MGRS coordinate
    38SKD986786
    Military Grid Reference System

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Sep 14, 2020
  • Jun. 30, 2020, in Abu Zuwair, Iraq, 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. 3201/CI881 38SKD986786

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 4
  • (2–4 men)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    US-led Coalition
  • Suspected target
    Unknown

Sources (28) [ collapse]

Incident Code

CI880

Incident date

March 13, 2020

Location

مطار كربلاء الدولي, Karbala International Airport, Karbala, Iraq

Geolocation

32.348172, 44.214648 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Within 100m (via Coalition) level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Three civilians were reportedly killed and two others injured in alleged American airstrikes in on Karbala International Airport which was under construction in Karbala governorate on March 13th, 2020, according to local sources. The incident is also believed to have killed three belligerents and the injury of nine, two of whom are in critical condition. In September 2020, the Coalition admitted that a strike had been conducted on March 13th “against a Kata’ib Hizbolla facility”, killing one civilian.

US officials had told Reuters that American “retaliatory strikes are underway in Iraq after the Taji camp attack north of Baghdad”.

Step News Agency reported that “on Thursday night-Friday night, the United States launched airstrikes targeting sites belonging to the Iranian militias in Iraq, amid reports that the general was killed in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard militia, Siamand Mashhadani, in the Jurf Al Sakhr region.” The Pentagon confirmed that strikes targeted five weapon storage units of Iranian-backed militias.

One of the victims was identified by New York Times as “Karrar Sabbar, aged 23, who left behind a wife and two children. He worked as a guard, sleeping in one of the airport’s halls or one of the administrative buildings.”

@Nz0FT8c0yti5CxG tweeted that Karrar (1995, full name unknown) was killed in American airstrikes around 1 AM. The source added that the young man was from Karbala governorate, and he worked as a night security guard at an airport that had been under construction. Four missiles were reportedly fired by American warplanes. Also continued to say that “two of his brothers are martyrs.”

NYTimes said that the airstrikes launched overnight “killed three Iraqi soldiers, two police officers and a civilian worker, and damaged an unfinished civilian airport.”

NYTimes said the Pentagon said the American strikes were in self-defense to destroy rockets and other weapons that he said had been supplied by Iran and one of the five sites attacked was a weapons storage site at an airfield in Karbala, but the Iraqi military statement said the airport that was hit was “totally civilian” and all workers there were civilians. Witnesses including a New York Times reporter noted that while the damage from the strikes was clear nothing appeared to have been burned, not even the papers that were in one of the administrative office areas that were hit. If the facility had been used for ammunition storage, it would have been likely to have caused a fire.

Shiite News said that “An airport under construction in Iraq’s central Karbala province was hit in a US bombing raid on militias, with photos showing debris scattered across the site. The US said earlier the strikes were “precise” and defensive.”

Tasnim News said “Unconfirmed reports suggest a construction worker may have been killed in the raid, which the Pentagon insisted earlier was conducted with precision and for purely defensive purposes. ”

Anadolu Agency said “The Iraqi army announced that three soldiers from its forces, two policemen and one civilian were killed as a result of the American strikes Friday night in the southern province of Babel.”

The Joint Operations Command (affiliated to the army) said in a statement on Friday: “At dawn today, Iraq was subjected to a blatant attack by American combat aircraft targeting the army units of the 19th Division and the headquarters of the 46th Popular Mobilization and the third Babylon Police Regiment in Babil Province (Jurf Al-Nasr, Al-Saeedat, Behbehani, The former Ashtar military manufacturing facility, Karbala Airport, is under construction located on the road between Karbala and Najaf). The statement stated that the attack resulted in the death of 3 soldiers and the injury of 4 others, the killing of 2 policemen and the injury of 2 others. In turn, “Al-Husayniya Threshold” in the city of Karbala, southern Iraq, reported that a civilian was killed during the American air strikes at Karbala International Airport.”

The Washington post reported from the Iraqi authorities that “three soldiers and two policemen were killed in the attacks, along with a civilian who was working in an airport that was under construction.”

The Shiite supreme leadership in Iraq condemned the attack and said in a statement that “the bombing had caused the death of a civilian and the wounding of others who were working in the construction of the airport, in addition to significant damage to administrative and service facilities. The statement clearly states that “this airport is purely civilian, and its construction is supervised by the Husseiniya threshold, in agreement with several Iraqi companies and by Iraqi civilian cadres.”

According to Youm7, the Iraqi president condemned the attack and described it “a violation to national sovereignty.”

A statement by the Joint Operations Command said that the attack led to “the killing of three fighters from the nineteenth division, and the injury of four, two of them in critical condition, and the killing of two and the injury of two from the employees of the Babylon third emergency police regiment, and the injury of five of the 46 fighters of the PMF and the death of a civilian worker in Karbala airport, which is under construction, and the wounding of another.”

According to Aleba’a, the Iraqi MP Karim Alaiwi considered the US attack on Karabala airport a message to the Iraqi Shiite Supreme Leadership which pushed the Parliament to take a decision asking the US forces to withdraw from Iraq. He said: “Everyone knows that Karbala airport is a purely civil project and has nothing to do with military objectives, but the United States wanted to send a message to the Shiite decision center that led Parliament to take the decision to remove foreign forces from Iraq.”

In the first of their September 2020 civilian casualty reports, the US-led Coalition stated: “Coalition forces conducted an airstrike against a Kata’ib Hizbolla facility. Regrettably, one civilian was unintentionally killed as a result of the strike”.

The incident occured at approximately 1:00 am local time.

The victims were named as:

23 years old male killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (3 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Confirmed
    A specific belligerent has accepted responsibility for civilian harm.
  • Suspected attacker
    US Forces
  • Known attacker
    US-led Coalition
  • Known target
    Iraqi militias (PMUs)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    3
  • Belligerents reported injured
    9

Sources (20) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (32) [ collapse]

  • Aftermath of a deadly US airstrike on Karbala Airport on March 13th, 2020 which the Pentagon admits killed a civilian.
  • Destruction at Karbala airport in the Iraqi shrine city, one of the areas targeted by US military air strikes on March 13th, 2020 (via Vox)
  • A US military PowerPoint slide released to reporters shows the five targets of the airstrikes on March 13th, 2020 (via Vox.com)
  • Damage to Karbala international airport which was under construction after a US airstrike on March 13th, 2020. (via shiitenews).
  • Damage to Karbala international airport which was under construction after a US airstrike on March 13th, 2020. (via shiitenews).
  • Damage to Karbala international airport which was under construction after a US airstrike on March 13th, 2020. (via shiitenews).
  • Damage to Karbala international airport which was under construction after a US airstrike on March 13th, 2020. (via shiitenews).
  • Image showing the damage caused to Karabala International Airport project which was still under construction when attacked by the US in an airstrike on March 13th, 2020 (via imamhussain)
  • Image showing the damage caused to Karabala International Airport project which was still under construction when attacked by the US in an airstrike on March 13th, 2020 (via imamhussain)
  • Image showing the damage caused to Karabala International Airport project which was still under construction when attacked by the US in an airstrike on March 13th, 2020 (via imamhussain)
  • Image showing the damage caused to Karabala International Airport project which was still under construction when attacked by the US in an airstrike on March 13th, 2020 (via imamhussain)
  • Image showing the damage caused to Karabala International Airport project which was still under construction when attacked by the US in an airstrike on March 13th, 2020 (via imamhussain)
  • Image showing the damage caused to Karabala International Airport project which was still under construction when attacked by the US in an airstrike on March 13th, 2020 (via imamhussain)
  • Image showing the damage caused to Karabala International Airport project which was still under construction when attacked by the US in an airstrike on March 13th, 2020 (via imamhussain)
  • Image showing the damage caused to Karabala International Airport project which was still under construction when attacked by the US in an airstrike on March 13th, 2020 (via imamhussain)
  • Image showing the damage caused to Karabala International Airport project which was still under construction when attacked by the US in an airstrike on March 13th, 2020 (via imamhussain)
  • A US airstrike on Karabala international airport caused huge damage to the building which was under construction (via Shafaq)
  • Fighters from the Kataeb Hezbollah, or Hezbollah Brigades militia, inspect the destruction at their headquarters in the aftermath of a U.S. airstrike in Qaim, Iraq, Monday, Dec. 30, 2019. The Iranian-backed militia said Monday that the death toll from U.S. military strikes in Iraq and Syria against its fighters has risen to 25, vowing to exact revenge for the "aggression of evil American ravens." (AP Photo)
  • Aftermath of an American airstrike on Karabala international airport project on March 13th, 2020 (via youm7)
  • Aftermath of an American airstrike on Karabala international airport project on March 13th, 2020 (via youm7)
  • Aftermath of an American airstrike on Karabala international airport project on March 13th, 2020 (via youm7)
  • Aftermath of an American airstrike on Karabala international airport project on March 13th, 2020 (via youm7)
  • Aftermath of an American airstrike on Karabala international airport project on March 13th, 2020 (via youm7)
  • Aftermath of an American airstrike on Karabala international airport project on March 13th, 2020 (via youm7)
  • Aftermath of an American airstrike on Karabala international airport project on March 13th, 2020 (via youm7)
  • Image via Alghadeer in the aftermath of the American airstrike that hit Karabala international airport project that was still under construction bordering Najaf province on March 13th, 2020.
  • Image via Alghadeer in the aftermath of the American airstrike that hit Karabala international airport project that was still under construction bordering Najaf province on March 13th, 2020.
  • Image via Alghadeer in the aftermath of the American airstrike that hit Karabala international airport project that was still under construction bordering Najaf province on March 13th, 2020.
  • Image via Alghadeer in the aftermath of the American airstrike that hit Karabala international airport project that was still under construction bordering Najaf province on March 13th, 2020.
  • Aftermath of an American airstrike on Karabala international airport project on March 13th, 2020 (via youm7)
  • Destruction of parts of Karbala international airport by a US airstirke on March 13th, 2020 (via Alebaa).

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention multiple strikes on alleged weapon caches, some of which struck a civilian from Karbala (كربلاء), who sources suggest that he was employed as night security at the Karbala International Airport (مطار كربلاء الدولي) that is currently under construction. Since the strikes happened during the night and assuming that the individual was at work, we suggest that the location of the strike is the airport, for which coordinates are: 32.347736, 44.214334. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further. Prior to the Coalition releasing the MGRS for this incident, Airwars had geolocated it to the nearest neighbourhood/area at 32.347736, 44.214334.

  • Google Earth imagery dating back from 2010 does not show the current progress of the Karbala International Airport (مطار كربلاء الدولي) which is currently under construction. Instead, here is an image from the Sentinel-2 L1C data, from the 9th of March, 2020.

    Imagery:
    Sentinel-2, ESA

US Forces Assessment:

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

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
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    1
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • Stated location
    in Karbala, Iraq
    Nearest population center
  • Location accuracy
    100 m
  • MGRS coordinate
    38SMA261793
    Military Grid Reference System

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Sep 9, 2020
  • Mar. 13, 2020, in Karbala, Iraq, via media report. Coalition forces conducted an airstrike against a Kata’ib Hizbolla facility. Regrettably, one civilian was unintentionally killed as a result of the strike. 3047 38SMA261793

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (3 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Confirmed
    A specific belligerent has accepted responsibility for civilian harm.
  • Suspected attacker
    US Forces
  • Known attacker
    US-led Coalition
  • Known target
    Iraqi militias (PMUs)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    3
  • Belligerents reported injured
    9

Sources (20) [ collapse]

Incident Code

CI879

Incident date

January 3, 2020

Location

مطار بغداد الدولي‎, Baghdad International Aiport, Baghdad, Iraq

Geolocation

33.266781, 44.231191 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Possibly one civilian was killed and an unknown number of civilians injured in a confirmed U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian national Qassam Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, on Baghdad International Airport at January 3rd, 2020.

The New York Times reported that an “American MQ-9 Reaper drone fired missiles into a convoy that was leaving the airport”.

Janoubia reported that the “the security media cell of the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office announced that ‘three Katyusha rockets landed on Baghdad International Airport near the air cargo hall, resulting in the burning of two vehicles and the injury of a number of citizens.'”

Qassam Soleimani’s son-in-law was also declared killed. While sources do specify the roles of the other persons in the convoy killed, his combatant status remains unclear. Hence, we have listed Soleimani’s son-in-law as a possible civilian casualty.

The belligerents named killed were:

Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis (deputy head of the Popular Mobilization Forces)
Qassem Soleimani (commander of the Iranian Quds Force)
Samer Abdullah (head of External Operations Agency for Hezbollah and brother-in-law of Imad Mughniyeh)
Muhammad Reda Al Jabri (director of the Hashdat Al-Hashd at the airport)
Hassan Abdul-Hadi (PMU)
Muhammad Al Shaibani (PMU)
Haider Ali (PMU).

Muhammad Al Kawtharani, senior member of Hezbollah, was also reported to be among the dead, but these reports remain unconfirmed.

Iranian officials also listed the following officers who accompanied Soleimani as killed, as reported by Nors:

Brigadier Hussein Jafir
Colonel Shahrud Muzaffari
Major Hadi Tarmi
Captain Waheed Zamanian.

The Pentagon confirmed responsibility for the airstrike in a statement on January 3rd, stating that “this strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans.”

The incident occured at approximately 1:00 am local time.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0 – 1
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Known attacker
    US Forces
  • Belligerents reported killed
    11–13

Sources (29) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (13) [ collapse]

  • Bodies of those killed in the U.S. airstrike near Baghdad International Airport after midnight on January 3rd, 2020 (via @madallh_skaren).
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Iranian Qassam Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, was killed on January 3rd 2020 after his convoy was bombed by an American airstrike. On the right a photo of his body, zooming in on the ring he was wearing when he was alive, left (via @SUUFp1).
  • Iranian Qassam Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, was killed on January 3rd 2020 after his convoy was bombed by an American airstrike (via @IRaqiRev).
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Photo of the body of Iranian Qassam Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, who was killed on January 3rd 2020 after his convoy was bombed by an American airstrike (via @IRaqiRev).
  • Aftermath of US drone strike on Baghdad International Airport in January 2020 which assassinated Iranian General Qasem Soleimani (via Arab48).
  • Iranian Qassam Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, was killed on January 3rd 2020 after his convoy was bombed by an American airstrike. Here pictured during a visit to Deir Ezzor end of 2019 (via Euphrates Post).
  • Money found near the location of the incident on January 3rd, 2020, that allegedly belongs to "Assad gangs" (via Nors).
  • Photo of a car near the location of the incident, allegedly from "Assad gangs" (via Nors Studies).
  • Iraqi official tv announces the killing of Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mehdi Al Muhandis on January 3rd, 2020 (via Nors Studies).
  • Iranian Qassam Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, was killed on January 3rd 2020 after his convoy was bombed by an American airstrike (via Al Arabiya).
  • Muhammad Al Kawtharani (senior member Hezbollah), who was killed in an American drone strike on Bagdhad International Airport on January 3rd, 2020. Reports of his death remain unconfirmed (via Al Arabiya).
  • Muhammad Reda Al Jabri (director of the Hashdat Al-Hashd at the airport), who was killed in an American drone strike on Bagdhad International Airport on January 3rd, 2020 (via Al Arabiya).
  • Photo of Qassem Soleimani (left) and Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis (right), both killed in an American drone strike on Bagdhad International Airport on January 3rd, 2020 (via Al Arabiya).

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention a strike on the road connecting Baghdad International Airport (مطار بغداد الدولي) to the city of Baghdad. The generic coordinates for the airport are: 33.266781, 44.230898

US Forces Assessment:

  • Known belligerent
    US Forces
  • US Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0 – 1
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Known attacker
    US Forces
  • Belligerents reported killed
    11–13

Sources (29) [ collapse]

Incident Code

CI878

Incident date

March 24, 2019

Location

الرطبة, Rutba, Anbar, Iraq

Airwars assessment

A girl was reported killed and a man injured when an airstrike was carried on a house in Al-Oudan district, north of Rutba, Anbar province, Iraq. The airstrikes were believed to be carried out by American forces.

The other members of the family were reportedly arrested but the reason remains unknown.

In July 2019 the Coalition announced that it had assessed this allegation of civilian harm to be non-credible. Their July 2019 civilian casualty report noted: “After a review of available information it was assessed that no Coalition actions were conducted in the geographical area that corresponds to the report of civilian casualties.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    US-led Coalition

Sources (3) [ collapse]

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
    No Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area
  • Stated location
    Al Rutbah, Iraq
    Nearest population center

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Jul 26, 2019
  • Mar. 24, 2019, Al Rutbah, Iraq, via Airwars report. After a review of available information it was assessed that no Coalition actions were conducted in the geographical area that corresponds to the report of civilian casualties.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

Between March 24 - April 6, 2019, CJTF-OIR conducted 52 strikes consisting of 98 engagements against Daesh targets in Syria and Iraq...In Iraq, CJTF-OIR conducted 23 strikes consisting of 45 engagements, engaged three Daesh tactical units, and destroyed seven tunnels, four supply routes, two buildings, two caves, one command and control center, and one compound.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    US-led Coalition

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Incident Code

CI878a

Incident date

March 20, 2019

Location

Anbar, Iraq

Geolocation

32.559763, 41.919644 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Province/governorate level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

In an incident previously not tracked by Airwars, the Coalition later confirmed the death of one civilian and the injury of another near Anbar, Iraq. This was later confirmed to be a US action.

As CJTFOIR’s June 2019 civilian casualty report noted: “Coalition forces engaged in a small arms fire event. Regrettably, one civilian was unintentionally killed and another one unintentionally wounded in the exchange.”

The Coalition has not provided any further locational information for this incident, and Airwars researchers could not find any reported claims of civilian harm in the area on this day.

In its May 2020 annual report on civilian harm to Congress, the Pentagon confirmed this to be a US action.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Counter-Terrorism Action (Ground)
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Small arms and light weapons
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Confirmed
    A specific belligerent has accepted responsibility for civilian harm.
  • Known attacker
    US-led Coalition
  • Known target
    ISIS

Sources (2) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Table of US-only civilian harm events in Iraq and Syria for 2019, declared by the Pentagon to Congress in May 2020.

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
    Previously unknown
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    1
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    1
  • Stated location
    Anbar, Iraq
    Nearest population center

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Jun 27, 2019
  • Mar. 20, 2019, near Anbar, Iraq, via self-report. Coalition forces engaged in a small arms fire event. Regrettably, one civilian was unintentionally killed and another one unintentionally wounded in the exchange.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

Between March 10 - 23, 2019, CJTF-OIR conducted 250 strikes consisting of 398 engagements against Daesh
targets in Syria and Iraq.

In Iraq, CJTF-OIR conducted 57 strikes consisting of 60 engagements, engaged 44 Daesh tactical units, and destroyed 14 supply routes, three buildings, two fighting position, one weapons cache, and one cave.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Counter-Terrorism Action (Ground)
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Small arms and light weapons
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Confirmed
    A specific belligerent has accepted responsibility for civilian harm.
  • Known attacker
    US-led Coalition
  • Known target
    ISIS

Sources (2) [ collapse]

Incident Code

CI877a

Incident date

March 10, 2019

Location

near Qayyarah-West Airfield, Iraq, Qayyarah, Iraq

Geolocation

35.74559, 43.1553 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Within 100m (via Coalition) level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

In an event previously not tracked by Airwars, the Coalition later confirmed the injury of one civilian in an event near Qayyarah-West Airfield, Iraq. The Pentagon later confirmed this as a US action.

In its May 2019 civilian casualty report, the Coalition noted: “Regrettably, one civilian was unintentionally injured by Coalition small arms fire.”

The Coalition provided Airwars with the location of this incident, accurate to within a 100 metre box. Airwars researchers could not find any reported claims of civilian harm in the area on this day.

In May 2020, in its annual civilian harm report to Congress, the Department of Defense declared this to be a US action.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Confirmed
    A specific belligerent has accepted responsibility for civilian harm.
  • Known attacker
    US-led Coalition
  • Known target
    ISIS

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Table of US-only civilian harm events in Iraq and Syria for 2019, declared by the Pentagon to Congress in May 2020.

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
    Previously unknown
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    1
  • Stated location
    near Qayyarah-West Airfield, Iraq
    Nearest population center
  • Location accuracy
    100 m
  • MGRS coordinate
    38SLE332573
    Military Grid Reference System

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • May 31, 2019
  • Mar. 10, 2019, near Qayyarah-West Airfield, Iraq, via media-report. Regrettably, one civilian was unintentionally injured by Coalition small arms fire.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

Between March 10 - 23, 2019, CJTF-OIR conducted 250 strikes consisting of 398 engagements against Daesh
targets in Syria and Iraq.
In Iraq, CJTF-OIR conducted 57 strikes consisting of 60 engagements, engaged 44 Daesh tactical units, and
destroyed 14 supply routes, three buildings, two fighting position, one weapons cache, and one cave.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Confirmed
    A specific belligerent has accepted responsibility for civilian harm.
  • Known attacker
    US-led Coalition
  • Known target
    ISIS

Incident Code

CI877

Incident date

May 14, 2018

Location

السفينة و حويجة, Mashraq village, Nineveh, Iraq

Geolocation

35.57707, 43.34567 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Within 100m (via Coalition) level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

According to local reports, airstrikes targeted villages south of Mosul on the morning of May 14th and resulted in considerable damage – and injured between two and five civilians. The Coalition later conceded injuring 13 civilians in the event.

Yaqein quoted a local source that stated that “An aircraft believed to be an American fired two large missiles on the village of Hawija south of Mosul”. The source added that “the rockets fell near the houses of the population, which resulted in the injury of five civilians”. All other sources also noted that the strikes took place south of Mosul, but identified the strike location as the village of al Safina. Ajl News reported that the “unknown bombing” targeted the villages of al Sefena, Mashraq, Talul Nasser, Nimrod and was believed to be executed by an “international Coalition aircraft”.

The security information center of the Ministry of Defense reported that a Coalition airstrike struck north of al-Qayarah base and injured 13 civilians. The center noted that “the injured were taken to the hospital, where ten of them left after receiving treatment while 3 remain in the hospital.”

Sputnik quoted an Iraqi security source who stated that two civilians were injured and that the aircraft may be either affiliated with the Coalition or the Iraqi air force. The source also mentioned that the strike may have been “made by mistake” as Iraqi forces had already liberated the Nineveh province from ISIS.

A local source told Yaqein that “the security forces carried the wounded to a military hospital in Mosul.”

In July 2018 the Coalition admitted responsibility, noting: “May 14, 2018, near Mishraq village, Iraq, via self-report. During a strike on Daesh campsite, thirteen civilians were unintentionally killed.” The Coalition provided Airwars with the location of this incident, accurate to within a 100 metre box.

In August 2019 the Coalition noted that they had made an error in the July 2018 report, stating that it should have read 13 civilians were injured, instead of killed.

In its 2019 annual report to Congress, the Pentagon declared this to be a US action – though also wrongly stated 13 deaths. This was corrected in the following year’s report.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Civilians reported injured
    13
  • 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
    ISIS

Sources (9) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (5) [ collapse]

  • Destruction at Mishraq following a Coalition strike which killed 13 civilians in May 2018 (via Ajl News)
  • Destruction at Mishraq following a Coalition strike which killed 13 civilians in May 2018 (via Ajl News)
  • Destruction at Mishraq following a Coalition strike which killed 13 civilians in May 2018 (via Ajl News)
  • Destruction at Mishraq following a Coalition strike which killed 13 civilians in May 2018 (via Ajl News)
  • Destruction of one of the villages south of Mosul after an alleged Coalition or Iraqi airstrike (via Ajl News)

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

The coordinates provided to Airwars by the US-led Coalition are 35.57707, 43.34567 (Military Grid Reference System: 38SLE501383), defining an area of 100 × 100 m. Satellite imagery of this area shows none of the built structures or terrain visible in the documentation from local sources. Airwars has contacted the Coalition for clarification.

  • Coordinates of 100 m area indicated by Coalition

    Imagery:
    © 2018 Google

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 injuries conceded
    13
  • Stated location
    near Mishraq village, Iraq
    Nearest population center
  • Location accuracy
    100 m
  • MGRS coordinate
    38SLE501383
    Military Grid Reference System

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Aug 29, 2019
  • Jul 26, 2018
  • May 14, 2018, near Mishraq village, Iraq, via self-report. During a strike on Daesh campsite, thirteen civilians were unintentionally killed.

  • In the July 26, 2018 Monthly Civilian Casualty Report, CJTF-OIR reported, "May 14, 2018, near Mishraq village, Iraq, via self-report. During a strike on Daesh campsite, thirteen civilians were unintentionally killed." This was an administrative error and should have read, "May 14, 2018, near Mishraq village, Iraq, via self-report. During a strike on Daesh campsite, thirteen civilians were unintentionally injured." The total civilian casualty assessment has been updated to reflect this correction.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

The Coalition publicly reported at the time that: “On May 14 in Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted one strike consisting of one engagement against Daesh targets.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Civilians reported injured
    13
  • 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
    ISIS

Sources (9) [ collapse]