Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

IRI005

Incident date

November 14, 2022

Location

كويسنجق, Koya, Erbil, Iraq

Geolocation

36.064308, 44.603813 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Nearby landmark level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

At least one civilian was killed and up to 10 others were injured by alleged Iranian drone and rocket strikes in the city of Koya on November 14, 2022.

Rudaw News reported that according to Koya’s mayor Tariq Haydari at 8:49am, four missiles struck the Koysanjaq district. Saman Barzinji, the Kurdistan Region’s health minister, told Rudaw that at least one person was killed and eight others were wounded. Shafaq later revised the numbers from mayor Tariq Haydari to two civilians killed and eight wounded.

The mayor of Quesanjaq district, Tariq Taydari, also told Shafaq News Agency that a civilian died because his heart stopped beating during the Iranian bombing, noting that the civilian suffered from a heart condition. The civilian that died is included in the count of one civilian killed and eight others injured. Alarabiya put the number of casualties at one person killed and 10 others wounded by rocket strikes in the city of Koye while the New York Times reported that at least two people were killed and nine others were wounded.

Shafaq News stated that the Iranian missiles fell on the headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI). Aljazeera quoted an Iranian Kurdish rights group who posted on Twitter that the strikes hit the Komala Party’s base in Sulaimaniyah with six drones and the KDPI’s base near Erbil with four missiles. The New York Times stated that KDPI announced that two of its members were killed and at least nine were severely wounded at its main base near Koya. The director of Koya’s main hospital, Sherwan Jalal, said ambulances had been dispatched but could not enter the base because of the continued danger of airstrikes and that it was possible there were more victims under the rubble.

According to Rudaw News, Telegram accounts affiliate with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for the attack, in addition to reports that Iran has been shelling the mountainous areas of Bradost, where units of Komala and the KDPI are located. The New York Times also quoted Iran’s “semiofficial Fars News Agency”. who stated that the security forces had targeted “terrorist groups”. Kurdistan24 reported that the attacks involved both missiles and drones, with the New York Times specifying that Iranian Fateh-110 ballistic missiles were used.

Following the strikes, Shafaq reported that Kurdish refugee camps were evacuated and five schools were suspended and the students were transferred to other schools due to fear of repeat bombings.

The incident occured at 08:49:00 local time.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Airstrike and/or Artillery, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 2
  • Civilians reported injured
    8–10
  • 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.
  • Suspected attacker
    Iranian Military

Sources (13) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (6) [ collapse]

  • Alleged Iranian shelling in the Koysanjaq district of Erbil governorate on November 14, 2022. (Image posted by Shafaq News)
  • Video | Iranian bombardment with missiles targeting Koysanjaq district in Sulaymaniyah governorate, wounding ten people as an initial outcome. Follow our platforms on social media

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    One of the civilians injured by alleged Iranian shelling in the Koysanjaq district of Erbil governorate on November 14, 2022. (Image posted by دهوكツ Dohuk via Facebook)
  • Alleged Iranian shelling in the Koysanjaq district of Erbil governorate on November 14, 2022. (Image posted by دهوكツ Dohuk via Facebook)
  • Damage caused by alleged Iranian shelling in the Koysanjaq district of Erbil governorate on November 14, 2022. (Image posted by Alhadath)

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    (Image posted by Haedar Aljaff اخبار خانقين via Facebook)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention strikes in the vicinity of the KDPI’s headquarters near Koya (كويسنجق). The generic coordinates for this complex are: 36.064308, 44.603813. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Iranian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Iranian Military
  • Iranian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Airstrike and/or Artillery, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 2
  • Civilians reported injured
    8–10
  • 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.
  • Suspected attacker
    Iranian Military

Sources (13) [ collapse]

Dutch Parliament set to debate improvements in policies to protect civilians

Published

October 27, 2022

Written by

Megan Karlshoej-Pedersen

Airwars and PAX release briefing for Dutch MPs ahead of Parliamentary debate, expected to cover civilian casualties from Dutch military operations and the impact of 2015 airstrike on Hawija.

In preparation for a debate in the Dutch Parliament on November 3rd, in which the Minister of Defence is expected to cover a range of topics including progress on the Roadmap process and improvements within the protection of civilians from Dutch military actions, Airwars and PAX released a briefing for Dutch MPs today.

The briefing gives an overview of Dutch efforts to improve the mitigation and response to civilian harm to date, and the challenges that are yet to be addressed to ensure that the Dutch protection framework is up to scratch. It suggests specific areas MPs should remain aware of, including continued questions on the level of transparency offered by the MOD, the importance of the Ministry of Defence maintaining clear milestones as it implements stronger PoC systems, and rehabilitation payments to Hawija, Iraq.

Click on the briefing below (note this is an informal translation from the original Dutch briefing, which you can find here):

 

Continue reading
▲ Hawijah, Iraq in 2021. Six years after the Dutch airstrike, parts of the town remain destroyed (Image courtesy of Roos Boer, PAX)

Incident Code

TI088

Incident date

October 16, 2022

Location

برادوست, Bradost area, Erbil, Iraq

Airwars assessment

At least one civilian, a woman, was injured by alleged Turkish airstrikes or drone strikes on the Bradost area in northern Erbil province on October 16, 2022.

Kurdistan 24 reported that a 30 year old woman named Sharmin Asad was injured by Turkish airstrike in the Bradost area in northern Erbil province. Ihsan Chalabi, the mayor of Sidakan, told Kurdistan 24 that the injured woman is from Sideman district and she was in the area visiting her relatives. She was transferred to the hospital and is receiving medical treatment, and her condition is stable.

BasNews specified that the drone strikes affected the Robi and Riwall resorts of Sidakan subdistrict, which the injured woman Sharmin was visiting. Rudaw News reported that the woman had been hit by shrapnel from a shell and that he injury was light.

All of the sources that reported on the incident attributed the injury to Turkish forces, referring to both airstrikes or drone strikes.

The incident occured at approximately 12:30 pm local time.

The victims were named as:

Sharmin Asad
30 years old female injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • 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.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • Alleged Turkish airstrikes on the Bradost area in northern Erbil province on October 16, 2022. (Image posted by Kurdistan24)

Turkish Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Turkish Military
  • Turkish Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • 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.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Mapping urban warfare

These maps are the first in a series of visualisations Airwars is presenting ahead of a new political declaration that calls on states to better protect civilians from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.

By matching neighbourhood population density – which also usually coincides with high levels of civilian infrastructure – with Airwars’ archive of civilian harm, we demonstrate the deadly human toll and the impact of urban warfare in cities and towns.

Spotlight on Mosul

During the Battle of Mosul, the US-led Coalition used over 29,000 bombs, missiles and rockets on the city to help defeat ISIS. Airwars records of civilian harm indicate that at least 5,680 civilians were reported killed – though some casualty estimates reach over 9,000.

Airwars has documented this profoundly troubling trend, time and again, where modern warfare is increasingly taking place in urban areas.

Map 1: This map of Mosul shows the devastating and deadly effects of heavy fighting in highly urbanised and populated neighbourhoods - between 2016 - 2017. The map splits Mosul up into local neighbourhoods - the taller the neighbourhood, the greater the number of casualties. Areas with the highest population density are indicated in green. As the map shows - the higher the density, the more casualties were recorded. The most number of civilians were alleged killed in Sheikh Fathi neighbourhood, where at least 1,079 civilian deaths were recorded. Population density data according to Central Statistics Organisation (COSIT), Iraq, August, 2016. Civilian casualty data presents minimum estimates across all civilian harm allegations recorded by Airwars.

Map 2: This heatmap shows evidence of building damage during the Battle of Mosul (2016 - 2017) as recorded by UNOSAT from 2017. Building damage refers to substantial structural damage seen from satellite imagery over the period of the conflict. According to city officials, in some parts of the city 80 percent of buildings were destroyed. In the recently published RAND Report, Understanding Civilian Harm in Raqqa and Its Implications for Future Conflicts, RAND estimates that the ratio of buildings destroyed or damaged in Mosul to civilians killed was 1:1.