Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

Lib2011-053

Incident date

March 30, 2011

Location

تاجوراء , Tajoura, Tripoli, Libya

Geolocation

32.830319, 13.383189 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Up to 40 civilians were killed in Tajoura by a NATO airstrike, according to a senior Vatican official based in Tripoli at the time.

Reuters reported on the incident: “At least 40 civilians have been killed in air strikes by Western forces on Tripoli, the top Vatican official in the Libyan capital said Thursday, citing what he called reliable sources in close contact with residents.”

It further stated: “NATO said it was investigating Martinelli’s report but had no confirmation of civilian casualties in Tripoli.

Martinelli earlier told Catholic news agency Fides that the 40 civilians were killed in Buslim, but he later corrected the district to Tajoura, saying he had confused the names of the two neighbourhoods.

He said his information on the killings came from “people who work with us, who have many contacts with residents, who are on the ground and know the situation very well.”

Al Jazeera tweeted that a residential area in Tripoli was bombed according to Libyan TV. And DP News posted pictures of “Libyan victims” but did not state if they were killed in this particular incident.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    40
  • 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 target
    Gaddafi forces

Sources (11) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Images of victims possibly killed in the incident (via DP News)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the city of Tajoura (تاجوراء), for which the generic coordinates are: 32.830319, 13.383189. 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
    40
  • 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 target
    Gaddafi forces

Sources (11) [ collapse]

Incident Code

Lib2011-051

Incident date

March 28, 2011

Location

مصراتة‎, Misrata, Libya

Geolocation

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

Airwars assessment

On March 27th 2011, Gaddafi forces reportedly bombed Misurata either with airstrikes or artillery shelling, which resulted in wounded civilians being treated in a hospital, according to a video published by a single local source.

There is currently no further information available.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    3–5
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Gaddafi Forces
  • Suspected targets
    Other, Unknown

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Caption translation: "Recording of the wounded civilians in Misrata after Gaddafi forces bombed the city on Monday, March 28, 2011" (via Adel Sunalla)

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
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    3–5
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Gaddafi Forces
  • Suspected targets
    Other, Unknown

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Incident Code

Lib2011-050

Incident date

March 27, 2011

Location

مصراتة, Misrata, Libya

Geolocation

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

Airwars assessment

On March 27th 2011, Gaddafi forces were reported to have indiscriminately bombed Misurata city using airstrikes or artillery shelling which led to at least three civilian deaths and also injured others, according to a single known source.

Al Jazeera, citing AFP, reported: “The same agency quoted a doctor as saying that three people were killed on Saturday, which raises to 117 the death toll since March 18 in the attack by Gaddafi forces on this city, which is the third largest city in the country and the most important city controlled by the rebels in the west.”

There is currently no further information available.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • Civilians reported injured
    5–10
  • 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
    Libyan rebel forces

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
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • Civilians reported injured
    5–10
  • 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
    Libyan rebel forces

Sources (1) [ 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

Lib2011-044

Incident date

March 20, 2011

Location

سرت‎, Sirte, Libya

Geolocation

31.190547, 16.571441 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A “large number” of civilians was reported killed in NATO airstrikes on Sirte, according to the Gaddafi regime.

Mohamed Abd El Rahman reported on Facebook that “the Libyan regime said that the coalition launched raids on Tripoli and Zuwara and Misurata (west) and Sirte since Saturday and targeted Sirte on Monday, especially the airports, which led to the death of ‘a large number of civilians’.”

Another source only mentioned British airstrikes on Sirte, but made no mention of civilian harm.

According to independent monitors, numbers of civilian casualties reported by the Gaddafi regime were significantly inflated throughout the NATO intervention.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    10 – 20
  • 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 target
    Gaddafi forces

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the city of Sirte (سرت), for which the generic coordinates are: 31.190547, 16.571441. 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 type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    10 – 20
  • 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 target
    Gaddafi forces

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Incident Code

Lib2011-042

Incident date

March 20, 2011

Location

البوابة الرشقية ألجدابيا, Ajdabiya’s eastern gate, Al Wahat, Libya

Geolocation

30.769320, 20.261783 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Nearby landmark level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Two civilians were killed by Gaddafi forces artillery shelling in Ajdabiya, according to an Amnesty International report.

The investigation noted: “Among [those killed] were 67-year old Miftah al-Tarhouni, and his 36-year-old son Mohammad, who were killed on 20 March near Ajdabiya’s eastern gate when their car was hit by a projectile – seemingly a rocket or an artillery shell. His son Adam told Amnesty International: ‘They were blown to pieces. We did not find their bodies, only shreds of flesh. They had set out to look for me in Zwaytinah, where I work. I got stuck there after al-Gaddafi’s forces invaded the area the week before.

‘In the meantime my family had fled Ajdabiya on 18 March, after the town was shelled the previous day. They went to take shelter in the desert to the south of the city, with many other families. The telephone network in the area had been cut off and we could not call each other. My father was worried about me and on Sunday [20 March] he decided to go to Zwaytinah to see me. As they passed near Ajdabiya’s east gate they were killed by a missile.'”

The investigation concluded: “In the cases mentioned above, and many others, the testimonies of survivors and witnesses and the details they and others provided concerning the positions of the two sides, al-Gaddafi forces and opposition fighters, at the time of the attacks strongly indicate that the projectiles were fired by al-Gaddafi forces.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (2)

Miftah al-Tarhouni
67 years old male killed
Mohammed al-Tarhouni
36 years old male killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (2 men)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected target
    Other

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Image of Miftah and Mohammed Al-Tarhouni, allegedly killed by Gaddafi forces artillery shelling on Ajdabiya on March 20th, 2011 (via Amnesty International)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention Ajdabiya’s eastern gate (البوابة الرشقية ألجدابيا), for which the generic coordinates are: 30.769320, 20.261783. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (2 men)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected target
    Other

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Incident Code

Lib2011-040

Incident date

March 19, 2011

Location

الدولار, Dollar, Benghazi, Libya

Geolocation

32.110714, 20.124550 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Two civilians, one of them a child, were allegedly killed by Gaddafi forces artillery shelling on the Hay Dollar neighbourhood of Benghazi.

An Amnesty International field investigation found: “The renewed attacks were even more vicious as the rockets used were packed with small metal balls intended to maximize injury and damage. Grad rockets packed with ball bearings were also fired into Benghazi’s south-western neighbourhood of Hay Dollar in the morning of 19 March, when al-Gaddafi forces had tried to re-enter Benghazi hours before the first NATO airstrikes.

“Among those killed by cluster sub-munitions was 12-year-old Hsein Mohammed Zoubi, who was hit in the afternoon of 11 April while he was playing in the garden of the place where he and his family were sheltering. His father told Amnesty International: “Hsein was playing with other children when the explosions happened and he was killed. One of the other children was injured and a young Algerian man who was also staying here, Wardi Ibn al-Saad, was injured and died on the way to hospital.”‘

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Hsein Mohammed Zoubi
12 years old male killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (1 child1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention the neighborhood of Dollar (الدولار) in the city of Benghazi (بنغازي), for which the generic coordinates are: 32.110714, 20.124550. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

  • Reports of the incident mention the neighborhood of Dollar (الدولار) in the city of Benghazi (بنغازي).

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (1 child1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Incident Code

Lib2011-037

Incident date

March 18, 2011

Location

أولاد أبوالهول, Awlad Abu Al Houl , Jabal Al Gharbi, Libya

Geolocation

31.930396, 12.250838 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Subdistrict level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

On March 18th, 2011, it was reported by a single source that pro-Gaddafi forces had bombed a residential area in Awlad Abu Al Houl, wounding at least six people.

This claim was only reported by al Jazeera, and was unable to be confirmed from any currently available sources.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    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 target
    Libyan rebel forces

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the Awlad Abu Al Houl (أولاد أبوالهول) area, allegedly located within the vicinity of Zintan (الزنتان) city. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further. The generic coordinates for Zintan are: 31.930396, 12.250838.

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
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    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 target
    Libyan rebel forces

Sources (1) [ collapse]