Civilian Casualties

(1 man)

Belligerents reported injured

أريحا, Ariha, Idlib, Syria

CJTF–OIR for June 10, 2018 – June 11, 2018

Original

Annotated

Report Date

June 11, 2018

Operation Roundup targets Daesh remnants

SOUTHWEST ASIA – Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve and its partners have accelerated offensive activity against Daesh targets in designated parts of Iraq and Syria throughout the months of May and June.

Since the May 1 start of Operation Roundup, Syrian Democratic Forces resumed major offensive operations in the Middle Euphrates River Valley. Since then, the SDF has continued to gain ground through offensive operations coupled with precision Coalition strike support.

During the month of May, the Coalition conducted 225 strikes with 280 engagements. This demonstrates a 304% increase over the 74 strikes conducted in March, and a 123% increase over the 183 strikes recorded in April 2018.

Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve and its partner forces continue to exert pressure on Daesh senior leaders and associates in order to degrade, disrupt and dismantle Daesh structures and remove terrorists throughout Iraq and Syria. Daesh morale is sinking on the frontlines as privileged Daesh leaders increasingly abandon their own fighters on the battlefield, taking resources with them as they flee.

Over the coming weeks, Operation Roundup will continue to build momentum against Daesh remnants remaining in the Iraq-Syria border region and the MERV. The Coalition remains committed to the lasting defeat of Daesh here, increasing peace and stability in the region and protecting all our homelands from the Daesh threat.

Weekly Strike Summary

Between June 1 and June 10, Coalition military forces conducted 134 strikes consisting of 161 engagements in Iraq and Syria.

On June 10 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted six strikes consisting of six engagements against Daesh targets.

• Near Abu Kamal, four strikes destroyed four Daesh supply routes.

• Near Al Shadaddi, two strikes [1 British?] engaged one Daesh tactical unit and destroyed one Daesh logistics hub.

There were no reported strikes conducted in Iraq on June 10, 2018.

On June 9 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 14 strikes consisting of 16 engagements against Daesh targets.

• Near Abu Kamal, six strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit and destroyed one Daesh vehicle, one Daesh fighting position, one Daesh supply route and two Daesh-held buildings.

• Near Al Shadaddi, eight strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit, destroyed one Daesh fighting position, one Daesh logistics hub, one Daesh tactical vehicle and one Daesh weapon.

On June 9 in Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted one strike consisting of one engagement against Daesh targets.

• Near Mosul, one strike destroyed five Daesh tunnels.

On June 8 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted nine strikes consisting of 11 engagements against Daesh targets.

• Near Abu Kamal, six strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit and destroyed one Daesh watercraft.

• Near Al Shadaddi, three strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit and destroyed two Daesh command and control centers, one Daesh supply cache and one Daesh supply route.

There were no reported strikes conducted in Iraq on June 8, 2018.

On June 7 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 12 strikes consisting of 12 engagements against Daesh targets.

• Near Abu Kamal, nine strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit and destroyed one Daesh supply route, two Daesh-held buildings and one Daesh watercraft.

• Near Al Shadaddi, three strikes destroyed two Daesh supply routes and one Daesh line of communication.

There were no reported strikes conducted in Iraq on June 7, 2018.

On June 6 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 17 strikes consisting of 19 engagements against Daesh targets.

• Near Abu Kamal, 11 strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit and destroyed two Daesh vehicles.

• Near Al Shadaddi, six strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit and destroyed one Daesh vehicle, one Daesh fighting position, two Daesh logistics hubs and one Daesh supply route.

There were no reported strikes conducted in Iraq on June 6, 2018.

On June 5 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 12 strikes consisting of 13 engagements against Daesh targets.

• Near Abu Kamal, seven strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit.

• Near Al Shadaddi, five strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit and destroyed one Daesh vehicle-borne IED, three Daesh fighting positions and two Daesh vehicles.

There were no reported strikes conducted in Iraq on June 5, 2018.

On June 4 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 17 strikes consisting of 20 engagements against Daesh targets.

• Near Abu Kamal, 15 strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit and destroyed two Daesh fighting positions, one Daesh tactical vehicle, six Daesh vehicles and one Daesh command and control center.

• Near Al Shadaddi, two strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit and destroyed one Daesh logistics hub and one Daesh heavy machine gun.

There were no reported strikes conducted in Iraq on June 4, 2018.

On June 3 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 28 strikes consisting of 42 engagements against Daesh targets.

• Near Abu Kamal, 22 strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit and destroyed one Daesh fighting position, one Daesh logistics hub, four Daesh vehicles and one Daesh line of communication.

• Near Al Shadaddi, six strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit and destroyed one Daesh vehicle-borne IED, one Daesh vehicle, one Daesh command and control center and 11 Daesh fighting positions.

There were no reported strikes conducted in Iraq on June 3, 2018.

On June 2 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted eight strikes consisting of 11 engagements against Daesh targets.

• Near Abu Kamal, six strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit and destroyed two Daesh fighting postions and two Daesh command and control centers.

• Near Al Shadaddi, two strikes destroyed 15 Daesh-held buildings.

On June 2 in Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted one strike consisting of one engagement against Daesh targets.

• Near Tal Afar, one strike engaged one Daesh tactical unit and destroyed one Daesh-held building, one Daesh bunker, and one Daesh supply cache.

On June 1 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted nine strikes consisting of nine engagements against Daesh targets.

• Near Abu Kamal, four strikes destroyed one Daesh tunnel and one Daesh held-building.

• Near Al Shadaddi, five strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit and destroyed three Daesh command and control centers and five Daesh-held buildings.

There were no reported strikes conducted in Iraq on June 1, 2018.

Report Date

June 11, 2018

Report Summary

134 total strikes
132 in Syria
2 in Iraq

Report Summary

134 total strikes
132 in Syria (15402 – 15533)
2 in Iraq (14244 – 14245)

Confirmed Actions

US, UK

Operation Roundup targets Daesh remnants

SOUTHWEST ASIA – Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve and its partners have accelerated offensive activity against Daesh targets in designated parts of Iraq and Syria throughout the months of May and June.

Since the May 1 start of Operation Roundup, Syrian Democratic Forces resumed major offensive operations in the Middle Euphrates River Valley. Since then, the SDF has continued to gain ground through offensive operations coupled with precision Coalition strike support.

During the month of May, the Coalition conducted 225 strikes with 280 engagements. This demonstrates a 304% increase over the 74 strikes conducted in March, and a 123% increase over the 183 strikes recorded in April 2018.

Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve and its partner forces continue to exert pressure on Daesh senior leaders and associates in order to degrade, disrupt and dismantle Daesh structures and remove terrorists throughout Iraq and Syria. Daesh morale is sinking on the frontlines as privileged Daesh leaders increasingly abandon their own fighters on the battlefield, taking resources with them as they flee.

Over the coming weeks, Operation Roundup will continue to build momentum against Daesh remnants remaining in the Iraq-Syria border region and the MERV. The Coalition remains committed to the lasting defeat of Daesh here, increasing peace and stability in the region and protecting all our homelands from the Daesh threat.

Weekly Strike Summary

Between June 1 and June 10, Coalition military forces conducted 134 strikes consisting of 161 engagements in Iraq and Syria.

June 10, 2018

Syria: 6 strikes

On June 10 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted six strikes consisting of six engagements against Daesh targets.

Near Abu Kamal, four strikes destroyed four Daesh supply routes.

Near Al Shadaddi, two strikes [1 British?] engaged one Daesh tactical unit and destroyed one Daesh logistics hub.

There were no reported strikes conducted in Iraq on June 10, 2018.

June 9, 2018

Syria: 14 strikes

Iraq: 1 strikes

On June 9 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 14 strikes consisting of 16 engagements against Daesh targets.

Near Abu Kamal, six strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit and destroyed one Daesh vehicle, one Daesh fighting position, one Daesh supply route and two Daesh-held buildings.

Near Al Shadaddi, eight strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit, destroyed one Daesh fighting position, one Daesh logistics hub, one Daesh tactical vehicle and one Daesh weapon.

On June 9 in Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted one strike consisting of one engagement against Daesh targets.

Near Mosul, one strike destroyed five Daesh tunnels.

June 8, 2018

Syria: 9 strikes

On June 8 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted nine strikes consisting of 11 engagements against Daesh targets.

Near Abu Kamal, six strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit and destroyed one Daesh watercraft.

Near Al Shadaddi, three strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit and destroyed two Daesh command and control centers, one Daesh supply cache and one Daesh supply route.

There were no reported strikes conducted in Iraq on June 8, 2018.

June 7, 2018

Syria: 12 strikes

On June 7 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 12 strikes consisting of 12 engagements against Daesh targets.

Near Abu Kamal, nine strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit and destroyed one Daesh supply route, two Daesh-held buildings and one Daesh watercraft.

Near Al Shadaddi, three strikes destroyed two Daesh supply routes and one Daesh line of communication.

There were no reported strikes conducted in Iraq on June 7, 2018.

June 6, 2018

Syria: 17 strikes

On June 6 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 17 strikes consisting of 19 engagements against Daesh targets.

Near Abu Kamal, 11 strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit and destroyed two Daesh vehicles.

Near Al Shadaddi, six strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit and destroyed one Daesh vehicle, one Daesh fighting position, two Daesh logistics hubs and one Daesh supply route.

There were no reported strikes conducted in Iraq on June 6, 2018.

June 5, 2018

Syria: 12 strikes

On June 5 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 12 strikes consisting of 13 engagements against Daesh targets.

Near Abu Kamal, seven strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit.

Near Al Shadaddi, five strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit and destroyed one Daesh vehicle-borne IED, three Daesh fighting positions and two Daesh vehicles.

There were no reported strikes conducted in Iraq on June 5, 2018.

June 4, 2018

Syria: 17 strikes

On June 4 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 17 strikes consisting of 20 engagements against Daesh targets.

Near Abu Kamal, 15 strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit and destroyed two Daesh fighting positions, one Daesh tactical vehicle, six Daesh vehicles and one Daesh command and control center.

Near Al Shadaddi, two strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit and destroyed one Daesh logistics hub and one Daesh heavy machine gun.

There were no reported strikes conducted in Iraq on June 4, 2018.

June 3, 2018

Syria: 28 strikes

On June 3 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 28 strikes consisting of 42 engagements against Daesh targets.

Near Abu Kamal, 22 strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit and destroyed one Daesh fighting position, one Daesh logistics hub, four Daesh vehicles and one Daesh line of communication.

Near Al Shadaddi, six strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit and destroyed one Daesh vehicle-borne IED, one Daesh vehicle, one Daesh command and control center and 11 Daesh fighting positions.

There were no reported strikes conducted in Iraq on June 3, 2018.

June 2, 2018

Syria: 8 strikes

Iraq: 1 strikes

On June 2 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted eight strikes consisting of 11 engagements against Daesh targets.

Near Abu Kamal, six strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit and destroyed two Daesh fighting postions and two Daesh command and control centers.

Near Al Shadaddi, two strikes destroyed 15 Daesh-held buildings.

On June 2 in Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted one strike consisting of one engagement against Daesh targets.

Near Tal Afar, one strike engaged one Daesh tactical unit and destroyed one Daesh-held building, one Daesh bunker, and one Daesh supply cache.

June 1, 2018

Syria: 9 strikes

On June 1 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted nine strikes consisting of nine engagements against Daesh targets.

Near Abu Kamal, four strikes destroyed one Daesh tunnel and one Daesh held-building.

Near Al Shadaddi, five strikes engaged one Daesh tactical unit and destroyed three Daesh command and control centers and five Daesh-held buildings.

There were no reported strikes conducted in Iraq on June 1, 2018.

UK MoD for June 10, 2018 – June 11, 2018

Original

Annotated

Report Date

June 11, 2018

Original Report

Web link

Sunday 10 June – a Reaper eliminated a light machine-gun position in eastern Syria…A further Reaper attack east of Al Shadadi was conducted on Sunday 10 June, when our aircraft observed a light machine-gun position being set up in an orchard; a Hellfire quickly dealt with the threat.

Report Date

June 11, 2018

Original Report

Web link

LOCATION

Two children from the same family were killed and a woman injured in alleged Russian forces or Syrian regime airstrikes on Ariha in Idlib, Syria on June 10th, 2018, according to local media sources. The Local Coordination Committees of Syria reported that “Russian airstrikes targeted the city of Ariha in central Idlib countryside, resulting in

Summary

(2 children)

Suspected target

2 named, 1 familiy identified

كنيسة بني عز, Kanissat Bani Izz, Idlib, Syria

LOCATION

One civilian was reported injured in alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on Kanissat Bani Izz village in Idlib, on June 10th, 2018 according to local sources. Qasioun News reported that “The regime’s warplanes also launched several raids on the villages of Kanissat Bani Ezz, west of Idlib, wounding one civilian.” The Local Coordination Committees

Summary

معرة مصرين, Ma'arat Misreen, Idlib, Syria

LOCATION

Civilians were possibly killed and/or injured in alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on the town of Ma’arat Misreen on June 10th, 2018, according to local sources. The Local Coordination Committees of Syria reported that there were “martyrs and wounded civilians as a result of raids by the military aircraft of the regime and Russia

Summary

Suspected target

تفتناز, Taftanaz, Idlib, Syria

LOCATION

At least ten civilians, including five to seven children and one woman, were killed in alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on Al Nour Children’s Hospital and civilian homes in the town of Taftanaz, Idlib governorate, on June 10th, 2018, according to local sources. Edlib Media Center initially reported “four martyrs: three children and a

Summary

Civilian infrastructure

Healthcare facility

(5–7 children1 woman3 men)

10 – 12

25–30

Suspected target

11 named, 1 familiy identified

بنش, Binnish, Idlib, Syria

LOCATION

Three civilians, including two children, were killed and seven others were injured in alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on the city of Binnish, Idlib governorate, on June 10th, 2018, according to local sources. Syrian Reporter wrote that “Russian airstrikes resulted in the death of a child and the injury of others, in the city

Summary

(2 children1 man)

7–15

3 named

رام حمدان, Ram Hamdan, Idlib, Syria

LOCATION

Up to three civilians including a child were killed and eight others injured, some of whom are in critical conditions, in alleged Russian forces or Syrian regime forces airstrikes on Ram Hamdan in Idlib, Syria on June 10th, 2018 according to local sources. Step News said that victims include a child (girl), a woman and

Summary

1 – 3

(1 child1 woman1 man)

منطقة تل الجاير:خويبيرة, Tal al Jair (or Tal Safouk), Khwuweibra village school, Al Hassakah, Syria

1 named

France report that the Wagram Task Force continues to support the offensive against the last pockets of Daesh present in the Euphrates Valley. Since the launch of the offensive on May 1st, it has carried out 111 shooting missions including 16 for the past week – May 30th to June 5th. Over the past week, the aircraft of Operation Chammal have carried out 20 sorties in support of local forces engaged on the ground, mainly missions of intelligence gathering and aerial reconnaissance. No strikes were carried out.

ACTIVITE DE LA FORCE

Task Force Monsabert : poursuite de l’accompagnement de la 6e division irakienne

Cette semaine, trois nouvelles formations ont débuté : une séquence d’entrainement au profit de compagnies commandos irakiennes, une instruction armement et une instruction à la lutte contre les engins explosifs improvisés.

La Task Force Wagram en appui de l’offensive contre les dernières poches de Daech présentes dans la vallée de l’Euphrate

La Task Force Wagram demeure engagée en appui de l’offensive menée contre Daech dans la vallée de l’Euphrate.

Depuis le lancement de l’offensive le 1er mai, elle a réalisé 111 missions de tirs dont 16 pour la semaine écoulée (bilan du 30 mai au 5 juin inclus).

Depuis le début de son engagement, elle a réalisé 1770 missions de tirs.

Les bases aériennes en Jordanie et aux EAU en appui des opérations

Sur la semaine écoulée, les aéronefs de l’opération Chammal ont réalisé 20 sorties aériennes en appui des forces locales engagées au sol (bilan du 30 mai au 5 juin inclus), essentiellement des missions de recueil de renseignements et de reconnaissance aérienne. Aucune frappe n’a été réalisée.

Bilan total de l’action du pilier appui aérien depuis le 19/09/14 :

8115 sorties / 1450 frappes / 2241 objectifs neutralisés.

Report Date

June 8, 2018

Notes

CHAMMAL

SITUATION MILITAIRE DU THEATRE

Sur le théâtre irako-syrien, l’activité majeure demeure l’offensive contre les dernières poches de Daech en Syrie.

Offensive contre les dernières poches de Daech en Syrie

En Syrie, les forces démocratiques syriennes conduisent actuellement l’offensive finale contre les dernières poches de Daech présentes au nord-est de la Syrie.

Cette offensive finale a été préparée avec soin par la Coalition qui a fourni un effort conséquent pour affiner le renseignement sur le dispositif de Daech et préparer le terrain pour les forces engagées au sol.

Dans ce cadre, le nombre de frappes menées par la Coalition en mai a augmenté de 123 % par rapport à son niveau du mois d’avril.

L’offensive est coordonnée avec les forces de sécurité irakiennes qui ont augmenté leur présence le long de la frontière irako-syrienne pour empêcher toute fuite de terroristes des zones de combat vers l’Irak.

Poursuite des actions de sécurisation en Irak

En Irak, l’action des forces de sécurité irakiennes se poursuit sur un rythme élevé, notamment dans l’Anbar et les monts Hamrim, mais aussi plus au nord en Ninive, et plus à l’ouest dans le désert de Jazirah.

ACTIVITE DE LA FORCE

Task Force Monsabert : poursuite de l’accompagnement de la 6e division irakienne

Cette semaine, trois nouvelles formations ont débuté : une séquence d’entrainement au profit de compagnies commandos irakiennes, une instruction armement et une instruction à la lutte contre les engins explosifs improvisés.

La Task Force Wagram en appui de l’offensive contre les dernières poches de Daech présentes dans la vallée de l’Euphrate

La Task Force Wagram demeure engagée en appui de l’offensive menée contre Daech dans la vallée de l’Euphrate.

Depuis le lancement de l’offensive le 1er mai, elle a réalisé 111 missions de tirs dont 16 pour la semaine écoulée (bilan du 30 mai au 5 juin inclus).

Depuis le début de son engagement, elle a réalisé 1770 missions de tirs.

Les bases aériennes en Jordanie et aux EAU en appui des opérations

Sur la semaine écoulée, les aéronefs de l’opération Chammal ont réalisé 20 sorties aériennes en appui des forces locales engagées au sol (bilan du 30 mai au 5 juin inclus), essentiellement des missions de recueil de renseignements et de reconnaissance aérienne. Aucune frappe n’a été réalisée.

Bilan total de l’action du pilier appui aérien depuis le 19/09/14 :

8115 sorties / 1450 frappes / 2241 objectifs neutralisés.

LOCATION

According to several sources, ten or eighteen civilians, including women and children, were allegedly killed in a Coalition airstrike on the village of Khuweibra in the Tal al Jair area. Eye on al Hasaka reported in a Facebook post that “The International Coalition committed a new massacre in the Tal Al Jair area”. An individual

Summary

Civilian infrastructure

School

10 – 18

(2–6 children2–6 women)

زردنا, Zardana, Idlib, Syria

LOCATION

Up to 52 civilians were reported killed and 100 others, many of whom are in critical situation, were injured in alleged Russian forces airstrikes on Zardana village in Idlib, Syria, on June 7th, 2018, according to local sources. Among those killed are up to 11 women and 11 children and a health worker. Most victims

Summary

(6–11 children6–11 women)

12 – 52

50–100

Russian Military

65 named, 7 families identified

الباغوز الفوقاني, Al Baghouz al Foqani, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Netherlands MoD for June 6, 2018 – June 7, 2018

Original

Annotated

Report Date

June 7, 2018

Original Report

Web link

Notes

For the 2nd straight week, Dutch F-16s fired weapons near Abu Kamal and Hajin in Deir Ezzor. The Dutch MoD reported that between May 30th-June 5th, aircraft targeted ISIS fighters and logistics centers in three missions. Jets supported ground troops in 9 missions, including in Nineveh, Iraq.

Weekoverzicht Defensieoperaties

Nieuwsbericht | 06-06-2018 | 12:00

In de strijd tegen terreurorganisatie ISIS ondersteunden Nederlandse F-16’s grondtroepen tijdens 9 missies. Bij 3 daarvan zijn wapens ingezet. Dat gebeurde in de omgeving van Abu Kamal en Hajin in de provincie Deir Al Zour in Oost-Syrië. Hierbij zijn onder andere ISIS-strijders en logistieke opslagplaatsen aangevallen. Ook is gevlogen boven de Irakese provincie Ninawa. Een overzicht van Defensieoperaties in de week van 30 mei tot en met 5 juni 2018.

Militaire instructeurs in Irak leren Koerdische strijders gebieden te beveiligen. Daarbij staan onder meer wapenhandelingen, medische verzorging, oorlogsrecht en civiel-militaire samenwerking op het programma. De door de coalitie opgeleide instructeurs verzorgen een deel van de opleiding.

Een Nederlands chirurgisch team opereert in een Amerikaans role 2-hospitaal in westelijk Irak. Het team werkt nauw samen met Noorse medici.

Report Date

June 7, 2018

Original Report

Web link

Notes

Weekoverzicht Defensieoperaties

Nieuwsbericht | 06-06-2018 | 12:00

In de strijd tegen terreurorganisatie ISIS ondersteunden Nederlandse F-16’s grondtroepen tijdens 9 missies. Bij 3 daarvan zijn wapens ingezet. Dat gebeurde in de omgeving van Abu Kamal en Hajin in de provincie Deir Al Zour in Oost-Syrië. Hierbij zijn onder andere ISIS-strijders en logistieke opslagplaatsen aangevallen. Ook is gevlogen boven de Irakese provincie Ninawa. Een overzicht van Defensieoperaties in de week van 30 mei tot en met 5 juni 2018.

Militaire instructeurs in Irak leren Koerdische strijders gebieden te beveiligen. Daarbij staan onder meer wapenhandelingen, medische verzorging, oorlogsrecht en civiel-militaire samenwerking op het programma. De door de coalitie opgeleide instructeurs verzorgen een deel van de opleiding.

Een Nederlands chirurgisch team opereert in een Amerikaans role 2-hospitaal in westelijk Irak. Het team werkt nauw samen met Noorse medici.

Netherlands MoD for June 6, 2018 – June 7, 2018

Original

Annotated

Report Date

June 6, 2018

Original Report

Web link

Amnesty says US-led Coalition likely violated international law at Raqqa

Published

June 5, 2018

Written by

Samuel Oakford

Web link

The US-led Coalition appears to have committed violations of international law during the battle for Raqqa, Amnesty International says, after an extensive investigation outlining several incidents in which the Coalition used disproportionate firepower – despite what it says should have been knowledge of the presence of civilians in the city.

“The cases provide prima facie evidence that several Coalition attacks which killed and injured civilians violated international humanitarian law,” said Amnesty in its report – published on the first anniversary of the US-dominated assault on Raqqa.

The heavily Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) began their operations in the city on June 6th 2017, backed by substantial US-led strikes (95% of Coalition airstrikes and 100% of artillery actions during the battle for Raqqa were American). Five months later in mid-October, the city was retaken from so-called Islamic State.

Estimates of the death toll in Raqqa vary, but local monitors credibly report that at least 2,000 civilians perished at the hands of all belligerents. Airwars researchers put the number likely killed by the Coalition at at least 1,400. But until now there had not been extensive ground investigation into the toll of strikes in the dense urban environment. That includes any efforts by the Coalition itself – which has discarded the great majority of civilian casualty allegations under review for Raqqa by its own investigators – all apparently without speaking to witnesses and victims. To date, the Coalition has admitted to just 26* civilian deaths during the fight for the city.

What I found in #Raqqa , in northern #Syria : Unimaginable destruction of lives, homes and livelihoods. Entire families killed when #USA -led Coalition bombed houses full of civilians. Demand investigations now. Victims deserve justice and reparation. https://t.co/ffevpCbTr4

— Donatella Rovera (@DRovera) June 5, 2018

“It’s not hard to find airstrike sites to visit in Raqqa,” said Benjamin Walsby, one of the Amnesty researchers who traveled to the city. “There’s one on virtually ever street, and often more than one. We analyzed the scene of 42 strikes, and spoke to witnesses, survivors and relatives of the dead. The Coalition has not done the same.”

“The Coalition maintains a transparent process and has demonstrated its willingness to open new cases and even reopen old cases in light of new or compelling evidence,” a spokesperson for the alliance told Airwars. “We have not been approached by Amnesty but are willing to work with them.”

According to the United Nations, as much as 80 percent of Raqqa was rendered uninhabitable by fighting, and the local reconstruction committee recently told Airwars that most damage was caused by airstrikes. Adding to the suffering, hundreds of civilians – by some local accounts more than 1,000 – have been killed by ISIS mines and other explosive remnants since the end of fighting.

Amnesty researchers spent two weeks in Raqqa during February 2018, visiting the 42 sites and interviewing a total of 112 survivors and witnesses. Amnesty has highlighted the cases of four families who lost dozens of members, illustrating the terrible ordeal Raqqawis faced as a result of ISIS’s criminal behavior – and the disproportionate and at times seemingly indiscriminate nature of Coalition strikes meant to vanquish the militants.

In each case, “Coalition forces launched air strikes on buildings full of civilians using precision munitions with a wide-area effect, which could be expected to destroy them entirely,” wrote investigators. “The civilians killed and injured in the attacks, many of whom were women and children, had been staying in buildings for long periods prior to the strikes. Coalition forces would have been aware of their presence had they conducted rigorous surveillance prior to the strikes.”

“Witnesses reported that there were no fighters in the vicinity at the time of the attacks,” said Amnesty. “Such attacks could be either direct attacks on civilians or civilian objects or indiscriminate attacks.

‘Shocking destruction’

The Coalition was well aware of the strategies ISIS would employ in Raqqa to purposefully endanger civilians, Amnesty investigators contend – including fighting in residential areas, and the use of non-combatants as human shields. The Coalition however did not modulate operations, instead escalating munition use and even turning down out of hand UN calls for a humanitarian pause.

“The scale of destruction and loss of civilian lives I found in Raqqa is shocking,” Donatella Rovera, Senior Crisis Response Adviser, told Airwars. “It is imperative that the Coalition stop being in denial and carry out proper investigations to establish why so many civilians were killed as a result of its strikes, and that it make available information that is crucial to this endeavour. There is no security rationale for not doing so.”

The first Amnesty case involved the Aswad family. Eight members were, it says, killed in a Coalition strike on June 28th that hit a building owned by four brothers in the family – Jamal, Ammar, Mohammed and Khaled. In the days prior to the attack, neighbors had joined the family in the building’s cellar, attempting to shield themselves from fighting above ground between ISIS and the SDF. Amnesty found that while “IS fighters were in the area at the time” they were “not in the immediate vicinity of the Aswad building.”

Witnesses said that because the building hadn’t yet been finished, people would move across the road to the family’s existing home to “cook and use the toilet.”

“We were sure that the warplanes would have photographed our street and would know our movements, as we went to and fro between the building and the old house across the street, and would have known that we were civilians, families with children,” Mohammed later told Amnesty. Nevertheless, on June 28th, the building was hit, pancaking upper floors and destroying the structure.

“Fragment of the motor of a US-made AGM-114 Hellfire missile recovered among the ruins of the Aswad family building, destroyed in a Coalition strike which killed eight civilians on 28 June 2017.” via Amnesty report.

Mohammed survived. But his brother Jamal died, along with a neighbour named Mohammed Othman, his wife Fatima and five of their children, aged 8-17. Another brother, Ammar, later also died – reportedly due to a land mine planted by ISIS.

Amnesty investigators visited the site and found remnants of a US-made AGM-114 Hellfire missile, and a US-designed Joint Direct Attack Munition. Both the United States and the UK declared strikes in Raqqa on June 28th.

‘War of Annihilation’

The Hashish family meanwhile lost eight members from an IED explosion at Raqqa, before losing nine more people in a July airstrike. The remaining family members had been staying in a smaller home with five rooms. One morning the area experienced shelling, forcing the family to take shelter. “The strike occurred straight after we re-entered the house,” said Munira, a survivor. “My brothers Hussein and Mohammed and their kids and the neighbors were all killed.” Munira was also injured, along with her children. “My seven-year-old son, Ahmad, was the worst; he suffered severe wounds to his abdomen.”

Munira also described ISIS’s patterns of movement in the city, which put residents in danger. “It was impossible to know which house IS would be in from day-to-day as they used to move around. We heard that they had made openings in the walls of people’s houses so they could move without being seen on the street. Any house was their house if they so wished.”

But she said it was unclear why the house her family was in was targeted. “They [ISIS] did not come to our house; it was an Arabic house [one story], not a tall building, so it wasn’t useful for them.”

Unlike operations in Mosul, which took place over the course of two US administrations, the battle for Raqqa was overseen wholly by the Trump White House and US Defense Secretary James Mattis. Just over a week before fighting reached inside Raqqa, Mattis remarked that the fighting against ISIS was now a “war of annihilation.” By the summer of 2017 – after just six months of the Trump administration – likely Coalition civilian casualties monitored by Airwars had doubled. In Raqqa, the gloves were off, including for US Marine Corps artillery units which fired thousands – or possibly tens of thousands – of rounds into the city.

The worst case documented by Amnesty – almost unfathomably distressing – was that of the Badran family, which lost 39 members alongside 10 neighbours in a number of airstrikes during the Raqqa assault.

“Members of the Badran family killed in three separate Coalition air strike on 18 July and 20 August 2017 in Raqqa”. via Amnesty report.

First, five family members were killed on July 18th in a reported airstrike on a house in Nazlet al-Shehade – an area to which ISIS had forced that family to move. Two other neighbors were killed, then four other family members died when a strike hit a car in which they were fleeing from Nazlet al-Shehade.

A month later, after moving through the city in search of medical care and fleeing ISIS fire, the extended family returned to a home in the Harat al-Sakhani area. One of the surviving family members, Rasha, explained what happened around August 18th:

“Two days later, we were bombed, both houses where we were staying got bombed. Almost everybody was killed. Only I, my husband and his brother and cousin survived…. We hid in the rubble until morning because the planes were circling overhead. In the morning we found Tulip’s body [her infant daughter]; our baby was dead. We buried her near there, by a tree.”

In total, 28 members of the extended family were killed in the strike, along with five people in a house across the street. “Nothing was left standing, there was only rubble,” said Rasha. “These were simple Arab houses, they were not sturdy. I don’t understand why they bombed us. Didn’t the surveillance planes see that we were civilian families?”

‘Undercounting civilian casualties’

The final case reported by Amnesty involved the Fayad family. Sixteen family members and neighbours were killed in reported airstrikes on October 12, 2017 in the Harat al-Badu area of Raqqa, where many civilians had become trapped in the final days of fighting. Though fighting had briefly paused earlier in the week as part of a truce, the Coalition and SDF then struck ISIS’s remaining strongholds on the night of October 11th and 12th. Among those who perished were multiple victims in the Fayad family.

According to the Coalition’s own strike reports, its aircraft carried out aerial attacks in Raqqa on each date referenced in the four Amnesty cases.To date, the Coalition has admitted to only 21 civilian fatalities in Raqqa between June and October 2017. Of 225 allegations reviewed, the Coalition has only found 15 cases to be credible. Over 90 per cent of all cases reviewed during the battle have been found to be ‘non-credible’. In its most recent report, the Coalition rejected 72 reported civilian harm events at Raqqa – while finding none to be credible.

“The low credibility count suggests that some, possibly many, allegations may be dismissed before all necessary efforts are deployed to investigate them,” wrote the Amnesty researchers. “Undercounting civilian casualties could result in underestimating potential harm to civilians in future Coalition operations, as civilian harm mitigation procedures require military units to learn from their civilian casualty assessments, and incorporate that learning into planning future operations.”

None of the more than 100 residents who Amnesty spoke with during their research said they had been approached by the Coalition. As Airwars reported in March, there were ample opportunities for such interaction, including at processing centers run by the SDF.

“Unexploded MK 82 bomb, dropped by the Coalition, in a street in the centre of Raqqa. Months after the recapture of Raqqa unexploded munitions still littered Raqqa, in places where they posed a threat to civilians and where they could have easily been removed.” Via Amnesty Report.

Bodies in Raqqa are still being dug out, seven months after the end of hostilities. In a May interview, a member of the Raqqa Reconstruction Committee told Airwars that remains hastily buried in mass graves during fighting are often too decomposed to be identified. Other bodies are still entombed in the rubble that litters the city. Recovering the dead risks encountering one of thousands of IEDs that ISIS left rigged in Raqqa’s homes and public areas.

“Many of these, as well as unexploded bombs dropped by Coalition forces, continue to contaminate the city, with the cleaning process set to continue for months, if not years,” wrote Amnesty in its report. Desperate for money, children are working as labourers to clear rubble for as little as $4 per day – a job that can prove deadly.

“Why were those who spent so much on a costly military campaign which destroyed the city not providing the relief so desperately needed,” asked one resident of the city.

“Amnesty’s detailed field investigation once again highlights the significant death and destruction visited upon Raqqa last year, primarily by US forces as they ousted so-called Islamic State,” said Airwars director Chris Woods. “There is little doubt that several thousand civilians were killed in the fighting – yet almost no interest from the US and its allies in understanding how and where they died.”

Airwars’ own monitoring has shown a clear correlation between the level of Coalition firepower deployed in Raqqa and likely civilian deaths. As its own report recently noted, “Before the assault on Raqqa had begun in June 2017, the US-led Coalition had been made aware of the high reported civilian toll at Mosul – with Airwars for example publicly highlighting rises and falls in reported civilian harm which were closely tracking munition use. Not only were these lessons not subsequently applied by the alliance – but the intensity of bombardment at Raqqa (given its relatively smaller size, and the shorter duration of the battle) actually worsened.”

Airwars graphic depicting the close correlation between intensity of Coalition bombardment and civilian deaths at Raqqa

Web link

Report Date

June 5, 2018

Original Report

Web link

LOCATION

According to local sources, four civilians were allegedly killed by a Coalition airstrike targeting the center of the town of al Baghouz Foqani. Both Euphrates Post and Deir Ezzor 24 identified two of the people killed as Nader Jassim al-Mardoukh and Hussein Ali al-Mardoukh. In a separate report, Euphrates Post identified the third civilian as

Summary

(4 men)

2–5

5 named, 2 families identified

السايح, Al Sayeh village, Al Hassakah, Syria

LOCATION

Local sources reported that three civilians were killed by ‘indiscriminate’ artillery shelling on the village of al Sayeh in southern Hasaka. In a Facebook post, An Eye on al Hassaka identified “the Kurdish units” as the culprit, referring to SDF forces. This was reiterated by most sources. In addition to the three killed civilians, Al

Summary

الجزاع, Al Helo or al-Jazza village, Al Hassakah, Syria

LOCATION

Several sources reported up to fifteen civilians killed, including ten children and an unspecified number of women, when Coalition or other aircraft allegedly targeted the village of al Helo/ Al Jazza near al Dashisha, in southern Hassaka. Marsad al Hassaka initially stated that the bombardment took place “at dawn today” and caused the death of

Summary

(10 children2 women)

2–24

1 named, 1 familiy identified

السوسة, Al Soussa, Deir Ezzor, Syria

UK MoD for June 3, 2018 – June 4, 2018

Original

Annotated

Report Date

June 4, 2018

Original Report

Web link

Sunday 3 June – a Reaper attacked another command post in eastern Syria, whilst Typhoons collapsed the entrance to a terrorist tunnel…An RAF Reaper remotely piloted aircraft patrolled over eastern Syria on Sunday 3 June. It provided surveillance support to a coalition air attack on a terrorist vehicle, then followed up with two attacks with its own Hellfire missiles against a further Daesh command post. Meanwhile, Typhoons used a Paveway IV to collapse the entrance to a terrorist tunnel.

Report Date

June 4, 2018

Original Report

Web link

LOCATION

According to local sources, Coalition aircraft targeted the town of Al Soussa, which reportedly resulted in two civilians killed and an unspecified number of people injured. Initially Step News Agency reported that civilians were wounded when the towns of al Soussa, Al-Aleyat and Bubradan were targeted by airstrikes. In a later report, the media outlet

Summary

قرية هداج, Hadaj village, Al Hassakah, Syria

LOCATION

Local sources reported the deaths of at least two civilians, a married couple, and several others injured as a result of a Coalition airstrike on the village of Hadaj West, which may also be known as Hasan al Ali village. Al Hasaka Arabea, among several other sources, identified the couple as Abdish al-Issa and his

Summary

2 – 5

(2 children1 woman2 men)

2–3

5 named, 1 familiy identified

بلدة حيان, Hayyan Town, Aleppo, Syria

LOCATION

One civilian was reported killed when a cluster bomb from alleged previous Russian shelling on Hayyan town in Aleppo’s western countryside exploded on June 2nd, 2018 according to local sources. Aleppo 24 said that “Mohammed Juma’a Omar Sharaq al-Zait, aged 42, was killed by the explosion of a cluster bomb from previous Russian bombing on

Summary

(1 man)