Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

Lib2011-094

Incident date

May 15, 2011

Location

قصر أبو هادي, Qasr Abu Hadi, Sirte, Libya

Geolocation

31.059497, 16.658901 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

One child was reportedly killed by a NATO airstrike on Qasr Abu Hadi.

The condolence page Sirte Martyrs published a picture of her mother commemorating her death four years later saying: “This is what NATO did with our children. Today marks the fourth anniversary of the martyrdom of the child Rayla Faraj Al-Bast Al-Gaddafi on 15 May 2011, who was described as a ‘martyr of terror’. She was martyred as a result of terror and fear resulting from the bombing of the NATO alliance.”

Other pages published similar posts.

NATO itself reported striking the following targets in the vicinity of Sirte on that day: “2 Surface to Surface Missile Launchers , 1 Self Propelled Artillery Piece, 1 Armoured Personnel Carrier.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Rayla Faraj Al-Bast Al-Gaddafi
Child female killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 child)
  • 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.
  • Known attacker
    NATO forces
  • Known targets
    Gaddafi forces, Other

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • Rayla Faraj Al-Bast Al-Gaddafi, allegedly killed by a NATO airstrike in Qasr Abu Hadi on May 15th, 2020 (via Sirte martyrs)
  • Funeral of Rayla Faraj Al-Bast Al-Gaddafi, allegedly killed by a NATO airstrike in Qasr Abu Hadi on May 15th, 2020 (via Sirte martyrs)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Qasr Abu Hadi (قصر أبو هادي),  for which the generic coordinates are: 31.059497, 16.658901. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

NATO forces Assessment:

  • Known belligerent
    NATO forces
  • NATO forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

NATO forces
Official source

In the vicinity of Sirte: 2 Surface to Surface Missile Launchers , 1 Self Propelled Artillery Piece, 1 Armoured Personnel Carrier.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 child)
  • 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.
  • Known attacker
    NATO forces
  • Known targets
    Gaddafi forces, Other

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Incident Code

Lib2011-093

Incident date

May 13, 2011

Location

الرويسات, Roiussat, Misurata, Libya

Geolocation

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

Airwars assessment

Eight to ten civilians, including two children, were allegedly killed and several others injured by Gaddafi forces shelling the Rouissat neighbourhood of Misurata.

Ahrar Libya said: “An hour ago: Gaddafi forces bombed the Ruwaisat and Nisour al-Jaw villages in Misurata, destroying 5 homes and killing 8 people, including two children.”

According to Only4Libya, “the bombing killed two other people, bringing the number to 10 martyrs, including two children, and 20 wounded, 5 of whom were in critical condition.”

Media Center 17 posted: “In the middle of the day, before the Friday prayer prayer, Muammar terrorist mercenaries bombed the Ruwaisat area with a number of Grad rockets, resulting in the death of two children and their sister, as the missile fell in their bedroom and also wounding a number of civilians, including a child and her mother from another house.”

An Amnesty International investigation later found: “Just after midday on 13 May a barrage of Grad rockets smashed into several homes in the Ruissat neighbourhood, south-east of the Misratah city centre, killing and maiming several residents. Rudaina and Mohamed, two of Safia ‘Abdallah Shahit’s three young children, were killed.”

Their mother told Amnesty: “I had bathed the children – Malak, aged five, Mohamed, aged three, and baby Rudaina, aged one. I left them in the bedroom and went to prepare lunch for them. Minutes later, I heard an explosion and ran back to the children’s bedroom when a second rocket smashed into the house. I fell to the ground; there was shattered glass everywhere and more explosions. After hearing the fifth explosion further away, I gathered the courage to enter the children’s bedroom and found them buried under the rubble. I was lifting the rubble, when I saw Rudaina lying under her bed: the back of her head was just gone, pieces of her flesh scattered around. She was a baby, she wasn’t even walking yet. What has she done to deserve this?”

Additionally, “Safia’s daughter Malak survived, but her right leg was so severely wounded that it had to be amputated.”

Amnesty added: “Nearby, Hassan Mohamed al-Rouj, a 36-year-old father of three, was killed by shrapnel from a rocket as he was on his way to the local mosque for Friday prayers. Another rocket smashed into the courtyard of the Sassi family home at 12.45pm. Lotfiya Shikshaka-Sassi, a 55-year old mother of six, sustained a large, deep wound to the abdomen and multiple wounds to the legs, and her 30-year-old son Mohamed was injured in the legs and arms.”

The incident occured around midday.

The victims were named as:

Family members (3)

Rudaina Mostafa Shami
1 years old female killed
Mohamed Mostafa Shami
3 years old male killed
Malak Mostafa Shami
5 years old female injured

Family members (2)

Lotfiya Shikshaka-Sassi
55 years old female injured
Mohamed
30 years old male injured

The victims were named as:

Hassan Mohamed al-Rouj
36 years old male killed
Lotfiya Shikshaka-Sassi
55 years old female injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3 – 10
  • (2 children1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • 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
    Gaddafi Forces
  • Suspected targets
    Libyan rebel forces, Other

Sources (10) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (4) [ collapse]

  • Rubble from house allegedly destroyed by Gaddafi government forces shelling on Misurata on May 13th (via Media Center 17)
  • The video shows a walkthrough of buildings ruined in the shelling and fragments, as well as interviews with a few people on the shelling.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Muhammad and Rudeina Al-Shami, allegedly killed and his Malak, allegedly injured by Gaddafi forces shelling on Misurata on May 13th (via Liberal Generation)

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Muhammad and Rudeina Al-Shami, allegedly killed and his Malak, allegedly injured by Gaddafi forces shelling on Misurata on May 13th (via Emad Misurata)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the neighbourhood of Roiussat (الرويسات) allegedly within the city of Misrata (مصراتة). Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further. The generic coordinates for Misrata are: 32.374457, 15.087794.

Gaddafi Forces Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3 – 10
  • (2 children1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • 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
    Gaddafi Forces
  • Suspected targets
    Libyan rebel forces, Other

Sources (10) [ collapse]

Incident Code

Lib2011-092

Incident date

May 13, 2011

Location

مرسى البريقة, Brega, Al Wahat, Libya

Geolocation

30.411123, 19.570076 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Between 11 and 16 civilians were reported killed in a NATO airstrike on Brega.

Both the BBC and the Washington Post said that eleven clerics were killed in the attack, while Reuters noted that “Nine imams were among 11 people killed in a strike on a guest house in the eastern city of Brega on Friday, the government said. The other two were buried elsewhere.”

Libyan State TV was reported to have declared that 16 civilians were killed in the attack. And the Express Tribune added that 50 people were allegedly wounded.

Al Jazeera wrote: “On Friday, a Libyan military source said that 16 people were killed and 30 wounded in the NATO raid on a guesthouse in Buraiqa, when at the time of the raid dozens of clerics came to attend a celebration. On Friday, Libyan state television showed scenes of nine bodies with several injuries.”

Reuters and The Express Tribune additionally quoted NATO officials commenting on the allegation: “Command and control bunker was struck in Brega early this (Friday) morning, as the structure was being used by the Qaddafi regime to coordinate strikes against the Libyan civilian population.

We are aware of allegations of civilian casualties in connection to this strike and although we cannot independently confirm the validity of the claim we regret any loss of life by innocent civilians when they occur.”

The Eg-11 Blog posted the following: “A spokesman for the Libyan revolutionaries, Ahmed Bani, denied, on Friday, that any civilian had been killed due to the bombing by NATO fighter jets in the city of Brega.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    11 – 16
  • (9–11 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    50
  • 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.
  • Known attacker
    NATO forces
  • Known targets
    Gaddafi forces, Other

Sources (15) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Brega (البريقة), for which the generic coordinates are: 30.411123, 19.570076. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

NATO forces Assessment:

  • Known belligerent
    NATO forces
  • NATO forces position on incident
    Non credible / Unsubstantiated
    Insufficient information to assess that, more likely than not, a Coalition strike resulted in civilian casualties.
  • Reason for non-credible assessment
    Insufficient evidence of civilian harm
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None

Civilian casualty statements

NATO forces
  • Mar 8, 2012

  • The Marsa El Brega Residence and Command Bunker Facility served as the primary C2 facility for forces fielded by the 32d Brigade in and around Brega. It was deliberately targeted and struck on 13 May. During engagement of the target, it was positively identified and four precision-guided munitions were dropped. The strike was highly effective, and decisively degraded command and control in the Brega area. Battle damage assessment indicated no collateral damage. After this strike, an engineer who had been involved in the design and construction of the command bunker facility publicly confirmed that it had been constructed for Col. Gaddafi and had been purpose built for command and control functions.

Original strike reports

NATO forces
Official source

In the vicinity of Brega: 2 Tanks.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    11 – 16
  • (9–11 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    50
  • 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.
  • Known attacker
    NATO forces
  • Known targets
    Gaddafi forces, Other

Sources (15) [ collapse]

Incident Code

Lib2011-090

Incident date

May 10, 2011

Location

العليا للأطفال وسط, High Committee for Children, Tripoli, Libya

Geolocation

32.898242, 13.206442 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Exact location (via Airwars) level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

On May 10th at 2am local time, NATO conducted airstrikes in Tripoli, injuring at least four children, with two seriously injured, according to two sources. Multiple sources confirmed at least three explosions, with one centred on the government building housing the Higher Committee for Children.

Al Jazeera said: “Reuters quoted Libyan officials as saying that four children were injured by flying glass, and two of them were seriously injured. Officials showed foreign journalists damage to a hospital’s glass, saying it was caused by the NATO missile strike.”

Akhbar reported the same casualty toll, citing Reuters as well.

A locally shot video shows a news crew walking through the rubble in the government building housing the Higher Commission for Children. Another shows the ruins of a residential area reported to have been hit by the airstrikes.

Agence France-Presse reported four explosions at 2am local time, followed by two more explosions. At least three explosions were confirmed by CNN. Multiple sources confirmed explosions on a nearby hospital as well.

NATO itself only confirmed airstrikes on “6 Vehicle Storages, 3 Ammunition Storages, 1 Surface-To-Air Missile Launcher, 1 Self-Propelled Anti Aircraft Gun” in the vicinity of Tripoli.

The incident occured at 02:00:00 local time.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    4
  • 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.
  • Known attacker
    NATO forces
  • Known targets
    Gaddafi forces, Other

Sources (12) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • The video shows a news crew walking through the rubble of the building housing the Higher Commission for Children. Libyan authorities have stated that this building was completely destroyed by the airstrikes.
  • The video shows the bombings on what is reported to be residential buildings housing doctors. The Libyan government spokesman at the time, Moussa Ibrahim, told CNN that a hospital had been hit "indirectly".

Geolocation notes (5) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention the building of the High Committee for Children ( العليا للأطفال وسط) being struck in central Tripoli (طرابلس). Analyzing audio-visual material from sources we have narrowed down the location to these exact coordinates: 32.898242, 13.206442.

  • Reports of the incident mention the building of the High Committee for Children (العليا للأطفال وسط) being struck in central Tripoli (طرابلس).

  • Close up of exact location with evidence of damage.

  • Tagged satellite imagery according to audio-visual material from sources.

  • Tagged audio-visual material from sources.

  • Tagged audio-visual material from sources.

NATO forces Assessment:

  • Known belligerent
    NATO forces
  • NATO forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

NATO forces
Official source

In the vicinity of Tripoli: 6 Vehicle Storages, 3 Ammunition Storages, 1 Surface-To-Air Missile
Launcher, 1 Self-Propelled Anti Aircraft Gun.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    4
  • 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.
  • Known attacker
    NATO forces
  • Known targets
    Gaddafi forces, Other

Sources (12) [ collapse]

Incident Code

Lib2011-087

Incident date

May 4, 2011

Location

الحيرة, Al Hira, Libya

Geolocation

32.355833, 13.047222 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

On May 4th, 2011, NATO airstrikes in the Al Hira area, west of Tripoli, led to reported civilian casualties. State television reported deaths and damage to infrastructure, and was quoted in multiple sources. No specific numbers or details about civilian and belligerent casualties were given.

Al Sharq Al-Awsat said fore example: “Libyan TV announced yesterday that NATO forces bombed the Al-Hira area, west of the capital, Tripoli, causing casualties.

‘The aggression of the Crusader colonial coalition bombed the Al-Hira area a short while ago, which led to human and material losses and damage to the infrastructure,’ it added.”

Other sources quoted the state broadcaster as well.

NATO itself declared that strikes occurred “in the vicinity of Tripoli: 2 Ammunition Storages, 1 Bunker and 1 Surface to Air location”.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 3
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Known attacker
    NATO forces
  • Suspected targets
    Gaddafi forces, Other

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Al Hira (الحيرة), for which the generic coordinates are: 32.355833, 13.047222. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

NATO forces Assessment:

  • Known belligerent
    NATO forces
  • NATO forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

NATO forces
Official source

In the vicinity of Tripoli: 2 Ammunition Storages, 1 Bunker and 1 Surface to Air location

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 3
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Known attacker
    NATO forces
  • Suspected targets
    Gaddafi forces, Other

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Incident Code

Lib2011-088

Incident date

May 4, 2011

Location

مخيم اللاجئين في قصر أحمد, Refugee Camp in Qasr Ahmed, Misurata, Libya

Geolocation

32.344133, 15.198531 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Exact location (via Airwars) level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A family was reportedly killed by Gaddafi regime forces artillery shelling of Misurata.

Al Jazeera said at the time: “Libya’s revolutionaries said that yesterday’s bombing of the Gaddafi Brigades targeted the port of Misrata in western Libya, leaving at least five civilians dead, at a time when an official at the International Criminal Court spoke of documentation proving the occurrence of thousands of deaths in this country, amid Western calls to fund the rebels using frozen assets. The spokesman for the rebels, Jalal al-Jalal, speaking in Benghazi, said that the number of victims of the bombing of the Misrata port could be much greater.”

In a later report, Jazeera said seven civilians had been killed.

Reuters reported: “A rescue ship evacuated about 800 injured migrants, journalists, and Libyans from the port of Misrata, which witnessed heavy bombing operations, but was forced to leave quickly, leaving hundreds of desperate civilians behind.

The ship (Red Star One) carried out the sixth marine rescue mission assigned by the International Organization for Migration from the besieged city after it was prevented for five days by bombing operations and the presence of mines.

‘The head of the organization’s team on board the ship, Othman Belbeisi, said that hundreds of Libyan civilians also sought to board the ship in a desperate attempt to exit Misurata,’ the organization said in a statement.

The ship carried about 700 immigrants, about 20 journalists, and up to 50 injured Libyan civilians and their families from Misrata, the last major city in western Libya under the control of the opposition, which is under constant siege by forces loyal to the leader Muammar Gaddafi.

‘The heavy bombardment of Misurata, in addition to the mines that were laid, prevented the ship of the International Organization for Migration from berthing for five days,’ the statement said.”

A video of the aftermath was posted by miusrata17miusrata showing four body bags. The caption reads: “Filmed just after the attack on Qasr Ahmed on May 5. Refugee camp in the vicinity was also hit. An Nigerian family, 2 adults and 2 children, were killed”

Amnesty International later found: “Several migrants were killed as they waited at Misratah port to be evacuated by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) when Grad rockets struck the temporary refugee camps where they were sheltering near the port.”

The NGO quoted one of the victims, Viva Emeka: “I was just at the port waiting for the ship to take us to safety, and holding my children, when an explosion rocked the port. I lost consciousness, and woke up to realize I lost everything.”

The father of the children was quoted saying: “Rockets exploded by our home so we fled and went to a Red Crescent tent camp near the port and were waiting for the IOM ship to evacuate us from Misratah. We were going to return to Nigeria, away from this war. It was 4 May and we had been waiting for the IOM ship for days when the rocket exploded near us.”

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

The victims were named as:

Family members (5)

Destiny
1 years old male killed
Success
0 years old female killed
Miriam
38 years old female killed
Amarachi
32 years old male killed
Viva Emeka
29 years old female injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4 – 7
  • (2 children1 woman1 man)
  • 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 targets
    Libyan rebel forces, Other

Sources (7) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]

  • Video showing the aftermath of the incident
  • Viva Emeka, injured by Gaddafi forces shelling on Misurata on May 4th, 2011 (via Amnesty International)

Geolocation notes (5) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention a refugee camp being struck in the vicinity of Qasr Ahmed (ميناء قصر أحمد). Analyzing audio-visual material from sources, we have narrowed the location down to these exact coordinates: 32.344133, 15.198531.

  • Reports of the incident mention a refugee camp being struck in the vicinity of Qasr Ahmed (ميناء قصر أحمد). Analyzing audio-visual material from sources, we have narrowed the event down to an exact location.

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

  • Satellite imagery showing the distribution of buildings tagged in the material from sources.

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

  • Tagged material from audio visual sources.

    Imagery:
    Freedom Group

  • Tagged material from audio visual sources.

    Imagery:
    Freedom Group

  • Tagged material from audio visual sources.

    Imagery:
    Freedom Group

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4 – 7
  • (2 children1 woman1 man)
  • 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 targets
    Libyan rebel forces, Other

Sources (7) [ collapse]

Incident Code

Lib2011-082

Incident date

April 30, 2011

Location

جالو, Jallo Oasis, Al Wahat, Libya

Geolocation

29.046464, 21.516349 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Subdistrict level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

On April 30th, 2011, Gaddafi forces entered the Jallo Oasis, reportedly killing six civilians and four rebels.

According to Agence France-Presse, 66 cars arrived from the south of the Oasis, killing one civilian at a bakery and five more civilian workers during the attack.

Al Jazeera quoted a rebel spokesman, also describing the six civilian deaths.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery, Counter-Terrorism Action (Ground)
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6
  • Causes of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions, Small arms and light weapons
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Gaddafi Forces
  • Suspected target
    Other
  • Belligerents reported killed
    4

Sources (2) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the Jallo (جالو) Oasis area, for which the generic coordinates are: 29.046464, 21.516349. 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
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery, Counter-Terrorism Action (Ground)
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6
  • Causes of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions, Small arms and light weapons
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Gaddafi Forces
  • Suspected target
    Other
  • Belligerents reported killed
    4

Sources (2) [ collapse]

Incident Code

Lib2011-083

Incident date

April 30, 2011

Location

مصراتة, MIsrata, Misrata, Libya

Geolocation

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

Airwars assessment

On April 30th, 2011, Gaddafi forces shelling of Misrata led to the reported killing of two people and left 17 others injured.

According to Al Jazeera, “A number of Libyan civilians and rebels were killed and wounded as a result of the continued bombardment by Gaddafi Brigades of the city of Misurata with rockets and mortars. Some of the injured were taken to Al Mahjoub clinic outside Misrata, and some of the injured lost their limbs. A medical source at the main city hospital explained to the island that the bombing had left two dead and 17 wounded.

Al Jazeera is the only known public source now available, and it remains unclear how many deaths and injuries were of civilians or rebels.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • Civilians reported injured
    4–6
  • 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 targets
    Libyan rebel forces, Other
  • Belligerents reported killed
    0–2
  • Belligerents reported injured
    0–17

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
    1
  • Civilians reported injured
    4–6
  • 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 targets
    Libyan rebel forces, Other
  • Belligerents reported killed
    0–2
  • Belligerents reported injured
    0–17

Sources (1) [ collapse]