In a fresh day of reported Coalition airstrikes on Mosul University, 11 people, including three university professors and their families were killed and other civilians wounded, after Dutch airstrikes, as part of the US-led Coalition, hit academic residences on March 22, 2016. Up to 15 Daesh fighters also reportedly died.
Heavy Coalition activity above the city was reported from dawn onwards. Yagen was among the news outlets reporting that strikes on “professors’ residences” killed eight civilians. Radio Zuhor claimed that “one university professor recognized his wife from her hand only, specifically a wedding ring, after her body was torn to shreds.”
ARA News reported an eyewitness within Mosul as saying that “dozens of Daesh elements have been killed in an intense aerial bombardment by Coalition aircraft targeting the University of Mosul – where the organization responded by using anti-aircraft from inside residential neighbourhoods, while indifferent to the consequences.”
Multiple sources published five victim names, included their families members. Most of the victims were professors that are working at the University or staff members.
In its July 2017 civilian casualty report, the Coalition deemed the incident non-credible due to insufficient evidence of civilian harm: “Mar. 22, 2016, near Mosul, Iraq, via Airwars report: After a review of available information and strike video it was assessed that there is insufficient evidence to find that civilians were harmed in this strike.”
This strike was the subject of a 2023 investigation by NOS, Nieuwsuur and NRC, in collaboration with Airwars, which revised its location to the following coordinates: 36.382227, 43.137122.
In March 2026, a decade after the harm occurred, the Netherlands released its findings from an investigation into the harm claim. Offering an apology to those affected and a response in the form of compensation payments to next of kin, Defence Minister Yesilgöz-Zegerius acknowledged that two civilian men, four civilian women, and one child were killed by Dutch military action. Despite attempting to engage with CENTCOM on the case, the US maintains that this incident is ‘non-credible’. While the positions of the two allies differ, Airwars changed this incident from ‘fair’ to ‘confirmed’ in light of the Dutch announcement.
While Airwars’ methodology generally advises that the named or identified victims be the minimum casualty number for any given range, based on the extensive engagements with witnesses and next-of-kin by media outlets, the public prosecutor, and the Dutch Ministry of Defense which includes information and documentation for seven killed victims, a range of 7-11 has been recorded for this incident to reflect the uncertainty.