Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

LC170

Incident date

July 22, 2019

Location

سوق الجمعة , Souq Al Jumaa, Tripoli, Libya

Geolocation

32.881854, 13.256303 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Up to three children were allegedly killed because of indiscriminate shelling on the Souq Al Jumaa neighbourhood of Tripoli.

The Libya Observer initially reported no civilian harm: “At least three mortar shells landed on civilian houses near the international airport of Tripoli, without reports of human casualties so far.”

Hona Souq Al-Khmies Emsihel said three children from the Dahim family had been “severely injured” because of the shelling.

Tk Yahrouq kl shy2 wrote that three children were killed in the Souq Al Jumaa area.

Due to local reports of fighting the shelling could have been conducted by either GNA or LNA.

An Amnesty International investigation later found: “Five children were injured on 22 July 2019, when two rockets landed near where they were playing, along the outer wall of the Dahim family home, south of Mitiga airport. The uncle of three of the children told Amnesty International:

‘Ramadhan, who is two, was injured in the face and hands, his sister Asil, who is 12, sustained internal injuries in the lungs and kidneys and a piece of shrapnel was lodged by the spinal cord; a very dangerous injury. And Rinad, who is 4, was injured in the head. Also two children from two neighbouring families were injured, Hedeya, and Minna, both 12 years old. It was about 8.30 pm and the children were playing by the wall. First one shell landed on the outer side of the wall and the children moved and then another shell landed exactly where the children had been playing only a few minutes before. If they had not moved, they would had been killed.’

Fragments recovered at the scene by Amnesty International investigators confirm that the weapon was a large rocket, most likely a 122mm 9M22U ‘Grad’ rocket.”

The incident occured at 20:30:00 local time.

The victims were named as:

Family members (3)

Ramadhan
2 years old male injured
Asil
12 years old female injured
Rinad
4 years old male injured

Family members (2)

Hedeya
12 years old female injured
Minna
12 years old female injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (3 children)
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Government of National Accord, Libyan National Army

Sources (6) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • More pictures of the aftermath

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention the neighbourhood of Souq Al Jumaa (سوق الجمعة), for which the generic coordinates are: 32.881854, 13.256303. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

  • Reports of the incident mention the neighbourhood of Souq Al Jumaa (سوق الجمعة).

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

Government of National Accord Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Government of National Accord
  • Government of National Accord position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Libyan National Army Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Libyan National Army
  • Libyan National Army position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (3 children)
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Government of National Accord, Libyan National Army

Sources (6) [ collapse]

Incident Code

YS028

Incident date

July 22, 2019

Location

جيلان بنار, Ceylanpınar, Syria

Geolocation

36.853273, 40.050478 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

One civilian was allegedly killed and up to six more injured when Kurdish artillery shelling hit Ceylanpınar.

According to Suriye.u.a.d, “one civilian was killed and three others injured by shelling by the PYD militia targeting a civilian house near the secondary school.”

Hasaka News reported: “One person killed and four civilians injured in the Turkish city of Ceylanpınar, adjacent to the city of Ras al-Ain, as a result of shelling by the Kurdish militia units YPG.”

Eye on Hasaka wrote that four people from the Atan and Işık families were injured.

Marsad Al Hasaka said five people were injured in the incident.

According to TRT, six people, including a child were wounded.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0 – 1
  • Civilians reported injured
    3–6
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    YPG

Sources (6) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]

  • Picture showing one of the alleged victims
  • People waiting at the hospital
  • Video allegedly showing the aftermath of the attack

YPG Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    YPG
  • YPG position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0 – 1
  • Civilians reported injured
    3–6
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    YPG

Sources (6) [ collapse]

Incident Code

LC167

Incident date

July 17, 2019

Location

عرادة, Arada, Tripoli, Libya

Geolocation

32.871846, 13.245006 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A child was reportedly injured in an LNA artillery strike on the Arada neigbourhood of Tripoli.

Tk Yahrouk kl shy2 said: “A shell fell on the house of Al Zarkani family in the area of Arada near the school of Abdullah bin Masood and there is material damage and a small child injured.”

February TV wrote: “A child was injured when a shell fell on his family’s home in the Arada area of Tripoli.”

In a different post it reported LNA bombing.

An Amnesty International investigation later said: “A week earlier, on 17 July 2019, at about 9.40 in the evening, a “Grad” rocket landed in the courtyard of the al-Zorqani family, injuring a 10-year-old child, Abdelaziz Abdelmola al-Zorqani. His uncle told Amnesty International:

‘The boy was here in the courtyard when a rocket landed and he was injured in the abdomen, the forehead, the left shoulder and the right leg. They were bad injuries. Now he is hospital in Tunis. It was a powerful strike, you can see the damage all around, on the wall of the house and the car. Several sheep were also killed by the shrapnel. What are we supposed to do if we can’t keep safe even in our homes?’

Fragments recovered at the scene by Amnesty International investigators confirm that the weapon was a 122mm 9M22U ‘Grad’ rocket.”

The incident occured at approximately 9:40 am local time.

The victims were named as:

Abdelaziz Abdelmola al-Zorqani
10 years old male injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • 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
    Libyan National Army

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention the neighbourhood of Arada (عرادة), for which the generic coordinates are: 32.871846, 13.245006. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

  • Reports of the incident mention the neighbourhood of Arada (عرادة).

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

Libyan National Army Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Libyan National Army
  • Libyan National Army position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • 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
    Libyan National Army

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TI024a IRI002

Incident date

July 10, 2019

Location

ديري, Dere, Erbil, Iraq

Geolocation

37.098683, 43.520804 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

One to two civilians, including an 18-year-old girl, were killed and up to four others injured in alleged Turkish or Iranian artillery strikes in the Bradost region of Iraqi Kurdistan on July 10th, 2019 according to local media reports.

Al-Monitor reported that Iranian artillery shelled the Sidakan border area in Erbil province on July 10th killing a civilian and wounding two others.

ANF said both Iran and Turkey carried out strikes in the area that resulted in the deaths of two civilians and injured four others.

Ihsan Chalabi, mayor of Sidakan town, told Al-Monitor: “On [July 10] at 12:10 p.m. local time, on grounds of targeting the Iranian opposition groups in the region, Iranian artillery shelled areas of Barbazin and Dere, and the villages of Dustanan, Zhuzhila and Talan. Unfortunately, a Kurdish girl named Zaitun Qadir, 18 years old, was martyred, and two of her brothers — Ali, 14 years, and Sirwan, aged 23, were severely injured.”

“The civilians were engaged with agricultural work in Dere village when the Islamic Republic of Iran’s artillery hit them. Consequently, all orchards and wild pastures burned and local citizens evacuated the area. We call on both Iran to halt shelling and the Iranian parties to not launch attacks on Iran from our area, for the sake of protecting civilian lives and their properties.”

Mr Chalabi said that Iran has haphazardly shelled the area from time to time, he insisted there were no clear headquarters and bases of Iranian opposition parties in the area.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Wednesday in a statement condemned the bombardment and said it “will not allow its border to be used for attacking and disrupting the security of neighbor countries.”

ANF reported that at 9 am the following day Iran and Turkey continued to bombard the Balakati and Bradost regions throughout the day with howitzers, mortars and katusha rockets aided by Iranian reconnaissance planes.

It was reported that whilst the villagers tried to extinguish the fires caused by the bombardments, hundreds of hectares of land was burnt.

EKurd Daily also reported that a girl was killed and her two brothers injured. According to the source, the Iranian army also shelled the villages of Kudo, Alana, and Gundzhor in Haji Omaran of Iraqi Kurdistan.

The incident occured at 12:10:00 local time.

The victims were named as:

Family members (3)

Zaitun Qadir
18 years old female killed
Ali
14 years old male Brother of Zaitun Qadir injured
Sirwan
23 years old male Brother of Zaitun Qadir injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 2
  • (1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–4
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attackers
    Iranian Military, Turkish Military

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • Iranian army shells Bradost sub-district in Iraqi Kurdistan, July 10, 2019. Photo: Screengrab/Rudaw TV
  • A picture showing what is said to be Iranian shelling of Iraqi Kurdistan, seen in an image uploaded July 11, 2019. - Twitter/@PDKIenglish

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Dere (ديري), for which the generic coordinates are: 37.098683, 43.520804. 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

Turkish Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 2
  • (1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–4
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attackers
    Iranian Military, Turkish Military

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Incident Code

LC161

Incident date

July 7, 2019

Location

طرابلس‎: مطار معيتيقة, Mitiga International Airport, Tripoli, Libya

Geolocation

32.895041, 13.2785 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Nearby landmark level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Three civilians were reported injured in an LNA artillery strike on Tripoli Mitiga International Airport.

February TV reported: “Three engineers from Afriqiyah Airlines were injured as a result of shells falling on the international airport.”

Libya Observer published a similar account: “Three of the maintenance engineers were injured and one of the Afriqiyah Airlines planes was hit by the fall of shells fired by Haftar forces on the Tripoli International Airport.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Libyan National Army

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Image of the damaged civilian plane

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the Mitiga International Airport (مطار معيتيقة), for which the generic coordinates are: 32.895041, 13.2785. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Libyan National Army Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Libyan National Army
  • Libyan National Army position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Libyan National Army

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Incident Code

LC160

Incident date

July 7, 2019

Location

خلة الفرجان, Khallet Al Furjan, Tripoli, Libya

Geolocation

32.795738, 13.217038 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Two civilians were reportedly killed by LNA artillery shelling on the Khallet Al Furjan neighbourhood of Tripoli.

February TV reported: “Bombardment of Haftar militia with Grad rockets on the area of Khallet Al Furjan kills a mother and her two-year-old daughter.”

Ahmed Othman and other sources said the two victims belonged to the Al Burki family.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (1 child1 woman)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Libyan National Army

Sources (8) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention the neighbourhood of Khallet Al Furjan (خلة الفرجان), for which the generic coordinates are: 32.795738, 13.217038. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

  • Reports of the incident mention the neighbourhood of Khallet Al Furjan (خلة الفرجان).

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

Libyan National Army Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Libyan National Army
  • Libyan National Army position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (1 child1 woman)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Libyan National Army

Sources (8) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USYEMTr201

Incident date

July 4, 2019

Location

بيت الشيخ سلطان العرادة, House of Sheikh Sultan Al Arada, Ma'rib, Yemen

Geolocation

15.411917, 45.374541 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Exact location (via Airwars) level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Several local language sources reported that a US drone strike targeted the house of Marib provincial governor, Sheikh Sultan Al Arada, at dawn on July 4th 2019. Others, including Yemeni government officials, instead asserted that the strike was conducted by Houthi militias with a ballistic missile. There were varying assessments of casualties resulting from the strike, though there were no known associated reports of civilian harm.

On October 4th 2019, US Central Command told New America that no new US military strikes had been conducted in Yemen since June 24th 2019. This may not however preclude this having been a CIA action, or a clandestine US military action.

Local sources told Sahaftak and Yemen Press Agency that a US drone had targeted the building while Khaled Ali Al-Arada, an alleged AQAP member and the brother of Marib governor Sultan, was present. According to some, including Sahaftak, Khaled was presenting to other AQAP leaders at the time of the strike. Some, such as Almandeb, indicated that the apparent accuracy and high destructive capacity of the missile indicated that it was of American origin. In 2017, the US had imposed sanctions on Khaled for facilitating the transport of weapons and persons in support of Al-Qaeda.

Marib and Yemeni government sources instead stated, including through a statement published on the Marib administration’s website, that a Houthi missile had targeted the building. Houthi armed forces acknowledged that missile attacks and airstrikes had been conducted against “military targets” in Marib on that morning via Masirah TV, a Houthi-run media outlet, but did not explicitly take responsibility for this particular attack. Others, including Yafa News, indicated that the Al-Ashraf tribes, who had allegedly been fighting nearby, may have been responsible.

The state news agency, Saba, reported that “the missile attack completely destroyed the Governor’s home and damaged several other adjoining houses in Wadi district in southeastern Marib”, but resulted in no casualties, according to Xinhua. Some local-language Twitter sources, such as @Abd_ulbast, also indicated that there were no casualties. Yafa News and others, however, suggested that local media had reported a “number” of “terrorist” militants killed in the strike, including Khaled Al-Arada.

Given these conflicting claims, Airwars has assessed this event to be “contested”, with reports of between zero and two militant deaths. While no civilians were reportedly harmed, one local source raised concerns that the strike had been in close proximity to the nearby Kara hospital.

The incident occured around dawn.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Artillery, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attackers
    US Forces, Houthi Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    0–2

Sources (30) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (9) [ collapse]

  • A strike, which some alleged to be American, reportedly targeted the Marib Governor's home on July 4th 2019 (Sahaftak, July 4th 2019)
  • Some sources alleged that the precision of the missile attack was indicative of an American drone strike (Alnqabialjanubi, July 5th 2019)
  • Sources suggested that the strike targeted Khaled Al-Arada (pictured with Yemeni Vice President Ali Mohsen), an alleged AQAP leader and brother of Marib Governor Sultan Al-Arada (@adm_omer, July 5th 2019)
  • Others, including Yemeni government officials, instead alleged that Houthi forces were responsible for the strike (@ahmeedahmed078, July 4th 2019)

Geolocation notes (4) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention a reception hall being struck in Wadi Obeida (وادي عبيدة), in vicinity of what some sources claim as the “Kara” area, east of Ma’rib (مأرب) city. Combining visual material from sources we have been able to identify the exact location of the strike at these coordinates: 15.411917, 45.374541.

  • Reports of the incident mention a reception hall being struck in Wadi Obeida (وادي عبيدة), in vicinity of what some sources claim as the “Kara” area, east of Ma’rib (مأرب) city. Combining visual material from sources we have been able to identify the exact location of the strike.

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

  • Satellite imagery from May 2019 (right) shows evidence of structural damage. The photo on the left is from December 2018.

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

  • Tagged satellite imagery.

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

  • Tagged imagery from source.

    Imagery:
    @ahmeedahmed078

US Forces Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

US Forces
Official source

On October 4, 2019, United States Central Command (CENTCOM) replied to an email inquiry from New America confirming that “the last strike conducted by CENTCOM in Yemen was 24 June.” Per that statement, there were no CENTCOM strikes in Yemen in September 2019.

The lack of strikes in September makes it more than three months since the last U.S. military counterterrorism strike in Yemen, according to New America’s research. However, it is possible that the United States has conducted covert non-military strikes, and in recent years there have been a small number of strikes attributed by media reports to the United States that CENTCOM has denied conducting.

Houthi Forces Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

Houthi Forces
Official source

Urgent March Spokesman #The Armed Forces: A joint operation this morning for the Air Force and Missile Force on military targets belonging to the invaders and their mercenaries in the Governorate of Marib

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Artillery, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attackers
    US Forces, Houthi Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)
  • Belligerents reported killed
    0–2

Sources (30) [ collapse]

Incident Code

LC156

Incident date

June 26, 2019

Location

وادي الربيع, Wadi al Rabie, Tripoli, Libya

Geolocation

32.709600, 13.382378 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Three civilians were allegedly killed by indiscriminate shelling on the Wadi al Rabie neighbourhood of Tajoura.

LCNA reported: “A random shell landed Tuesday night on the house of Mohammed Salim al-Mazouji in the Wadi Al Rabie area, killing two of his sons, in addition to his granddaughter while they were inside the house.”

Other sources published similar reports.

Local reports of fighting point at the GNA or the LNA as perpetrators of the shelling.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (1 child2 men)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Government of National Accord, Libyan National Army

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention the neighbourhood of Wadi Al Rabie (الطويشة), for which the generic coordinates are: 32.709600, 13.382378. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

  • Reports of the incident mention the neighbourhood of Wadi Al Rabie (الطويشة).

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

Government of National Accord Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Government of National Accord
  • Government of National Accord position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Libyan National Army Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Libyan National Army
  • Libyan National Army position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (1 child2 men)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Government of National Accord, Libyan National Army

Sources (4) [ collapse]