September 2016 Deir ez-Zor air raid facts for kids
| Part of the Battle of Deir ez-Zor and the American-led intervention in the Syrian civil war | |
 Jabal Tardah
Location in Syria
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| Date | 17 September 2016 |
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| Location | Deir ez-Zor Airport, Deir ez-Zor, Syria |
| Cause | Airstrikes by CJTF-OIR aircraft |
| Participants |  CJTF-OIR (coalition)
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| Casualties | |
 Syria 60-90 |
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The September 2016 Deir ez-Zor air raid was a series of airstrikes by a group of countries led by the United States. These strikes happened near the Deir ez-Zor Airport in eastern Syria on September 17, 2016. The attacks lasted about an hour and accidentally hit Syrian Arab Army (SAA) soldiers who were fighting against the Islamic State group.
Reports vary on how many soldiers died. Russia said at least 62 SAA soldiers were killed. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that at least 80 were killed and 120 wounded. The United States stated that they meant to target Islamic State fighters and hit the Syrian soldiers by mistake. However, the Syrian and Russian governments claimed it was a deliberate attack. This event caused a big argument between countries, with Russia calling for an emergency meeting at the United Nations. After this, the Syrian government ended a ceasefire that had been agreed upon by the U.S. and Russia.
The end of the ceasefire led to more problems, including an attack on an aid convoy near Aleppo. The U.S. and its allies blamed Syria and Russia for this, but both denied it. This disagreement stopped peace talks between the U.S. and Russia about Syria. Russia used the airstrike as a reason to improve its missile defenses in Syria. The U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, later said that the ceasefire breaking down helped lead to Syrian government forces taking over rebel-held East Aleppo. The attack also allowed the Islamic State, which was surrounding Deir ez-Zor, to capture important areas near the airport.
Contents
Why the Airstrike Happened
The Ceasefire Agreement
Before the airstrike, a ceasefire (a temporary stop to fighting) had begun on September 12, 2016. This ceasefire was arranged by the United States and Russia and was supposed to last for one week. It was the result of many months of talks between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, as well as U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
At the time of the airstrike, the ceasefire had been in place for more than five days. If it had continued, the U.S. and Russia planned to create a "Joint Implementation Group." This group would have shared information and coordinated attacks against al-Qaeda and the Islamic State in Syria. Some U.S. military officials were against this, worrying that Russia might get important information about the U.S. military.
The Siege of Deir ez-Zor
Deir ez-Zor Governorate was one of the few areas in eastern Syria still controlled by the Syrian government. In 2015, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (also known as ISIL or Daesh) captured most of the city of Deir ez-Zor. This cut off the Syrian government's supply routes by land.
The parts of the city still held by the government were then surrounded by ISIL. Supplies could only be brought in by helicopters. ISIL often attacked the Deir ez-Zor Airport to stop these supplies. The Syrian government controlled the Thardah Mountains and other areas near the airport. These areas were important because they protected the airport from ISIL attacks, allowing supply planes to land safely. Because of this, the Deir ez-Zor Airport and its surrounding areas were very important for the Syrian government to keep control of the city. The Thardah Mountains are a group of hills and mountains southwest of the airport, where Syrian government defenses were located.
What Happened During the Airstrike
Planes Involved
The Russian Defence Ministry said four jets were involved in the attack. These included two A-10 and two F-16 planes, which are used for ground attacks. The United States Central Command stated that American, British, Danish, and Australian warplanes took part. Denmark confirmed that two of its F-16s were involved. Britain said its armed Reaper drones also participated. Australia's Defence Force stated that two of its F/A-18A planes and an E-7A Wedgetail aircraft were part of the strike.
Communication Mistake
At the time, the U.S. military in Qatar used a special phone line to talk with Russia. This line was meant to prevent accidental clashes. On September 17, 2016, the U.S. used this line to tell Russia about planned airstrikes. The U.S. operator made a mistake, telling Russia the strikes would be 9 km south of the Deir ez-Zor airfield. In reality, they were planned for 9 km south of Deir ez-Zor city, which was about 3 to 6 km south of the airfield. This mistake might have confused Russia and delayed their response.
The Attack and Its End
The U.S.-led coalition started attacking Syrian troops at 3:55 p.m. Syria time. The bombs hit Syrian Army positions on the Tharda Mountain and at a nearby artillery base. Russia called the U.S. Central Command at 4:25 p.m. to report the mistake. However, the person they usually spoke to was not available.
According to the U.S. investigation, the Russian operator waited to speak to their usual contact instead of giving the information to another officer right away. This caused a 27-minute delay, during which 15 of the 37 strikes happened. Another Russian call was answered at 4:52 p.m., and the airstrikes were called off within minutes. By 4:56 p.m., the coalition aircraft stopped firing and left the area.
A Syrian Army officer whose unit was hit said that most of the soldiers killed were at points 1 and 2, which are very close to the Deir ez-Zor airport. He also said that most airstrikes were not near the actual front lines where ISIL and the Syrian Army were fighting. The airstrikes destroyed the Syrian Army's defenses at these points, forcing them to retreat. One week later, ISIL forced the Syrian Army to completely leave these points.
Casualties
Initially, Russia and Syria reported that 62 Syrian government soldiers were killed. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) first reported over 80 dead and 120 wounded. The next day, SOHR updated the death toll to 90, with 30 wounded. Later, a pro-Syrian government news outlet reported that the Syrian government said 106 soldiers were killed at Jabal Thardeh by the coalition, with more than half dying in these specific strikes.
ISIL Attack After the Airstrike
An unnamed military source claimed that the ISIL group launched a ground attack just seven minutes after the coalition's airstrike. Pro-Syrian government news outlets later said this showed that the U.S. and ISIL were working together. The ISIL attack allowed them to take control of Tharda mountain, which was important because it overlooked the government-held Deir ez-Zor military airbase.
Later that day, after heavy fighting and Russian and Syrian airstrikes, the Syrian Army recaptured some positions. However, the next day, ISIL was again in control of the mountain after the Syrian military pulled back. This created a serious threat to the airport. Pro-government media reported that the Syrian Army later recaptured some points but lost them again in another ISIL attack.
What Happened Next
The airstrike caused a "diplomatic firestorm," meaning a very strong international argument. Russia called an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council. During this meeting, both the U.S. and Russian ambassadors criticized each other. The U.S. coalition said the attacks were accidental and meant for the Islamic State. Russia and Syria, however, said the Syrian government was the intended target. They claimed the motives were to stop the ceasefire and/or help ISIL capture Deir ez-Zor.
Immediate Military Changes
A day after the attack, Syrian government forces started firing at a coalition drone flying over the Thardeh mountains. Before this, they had usually ignored coalition drones. On October 6, 2016, after Russia sent more missile defense systems to Syria, a Russian military spokesman warned the U.S. not to attack the Syrian military. He said Russia had taken steps to prevent "mistakes" regarding Russian soldiers and facilities in Syria. He also warned that Russian air defense crews might not have time to check who owned any missiles if they felt threatened.
Ceasefire Breakdown and Aid Convoy Attack
The ceasefire, which was the result of months of talks between U.S. and Russian officials, ended on September 19, 2016. This was exactly seven days after it began. Shortly after the ceasefire ended, an aid convoy near Aleppo was attacked. The U.S. and its allies blamed the Syrian government for this attack, but Syria denied it. The U.S. later said the aid convoy attack was the main reason the ceasefire failed and why U.S. peace talks with Russia ended. However, the Russian government believed the Deir ez-Zor airstrike was the key event that caused the ceasefire to break down.
Battle of Aleppo
John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, said in an interview that if the ceasefire had not collapsed, the United States might have been able to prevent the capture of rebel-held Eastern Aleppo by the Syrian Army in December. He believed that the ceasefire agreement would have given the U.S. some control over Russian and Syrian flights in the area, which could have changed the outcome.
Diplomatic Reactions
The coalition insisted that the bombing of Syrian troops at Deir ez-Zor was an accident. The U.S. expressed regret for the "unintentional loss of life of Syrian forces fighting ISIL." However, the Syrian and Russian governments said they believed the strikes were intentional. This led to accusations that the coalition was acting like ISIL's air force, which the U.S. and its allies strongly denied. The U.S. military stated that "coalition forces would not intentionally strike a known Syrian military unit." In contrast, the Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman said that "after today’s attack on the Syrian army, we come to the terrible conclusion that the White House is defending the Islamic State." The Syrian government said the airstrikes were "conclusive evidence" that the U.S. and its allies were supporting ISIL to try and remove President Bashar al-Assad from power.
The accusation that the U.S. and its allies bombed Syrian forces to help ISIL was widely spread by pro-Syrian government news outlets. However, media outlets in the coalition countries mostly saw these accusations as conspiracy theories. Some analysts in the U.S. and U.K. saw the attack as a rare attempt to help the Syrian government fight ISIL. For example, Faysal Itani from the Atlantic Council said that U.S. airstrikes so close to Syrian government positions were unusual and could be seen as helping the Syrian government.
Both the Russian and Syrian governments continued to say that this airstrike was "proof" that the U.S. supported ISIL. They often used the timing of ISIL's attack, which happened just seven minutes after the airstrikes, as evidence.
Coalition Investigation
After the attack, the U.S. coalition started an internal investigation. It was led by U.S. Brigadier General Richard Coe. A summary of the report was made public on November 29, 2016. One of the report's findings was that the attacks were carried out "in good faith," meaning they genuinely believed they were targeting ISIL fighters. The report concluded that the strikes followed the rules of war. The investigation interviewed 70 U.S. and coalition staff and "found no evidence of misconduct." It also listed lessons learned and areas for improvement.
The report stated that both target areas had tunnels and defensive positions. It also said that the soldiers there wore a mix of traditional clothes, civilian clothes, and military-style clothing that was not uniform. This made it hard to identify them, leading to the belief that they were ISIL fighters. The Australian Defence Force also stated that the forces were "not wearing recognisable military uniforms or displaying identifying flags or markings."
See also
- List of United States attacks on the Syrian government during the Syrian Civil War
- Siege of Deir ez-Zor (2014–2017)
- Deir ez-Zor clashes (disambiguation)
- 2017 Shayrat missile strike
- Battle of Khasham
- Deir ez-Zor Governorate clashes
External resources
- The redacted copy of the result of the coalition's investigation into the airstrikes
