Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

R4554

Incident date

September 4, 2023

Location

أرض زراعية على أطراف مدينة سرمين شرقي إدلب, agricultural land on the outskirts of the city of Sarmin, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

On September 4th 2023, one civilian was killed and another was severely injured in the city of Sarmin by intensive missile and artillery shelling allegedly by Syrian regime forces and/or Russian forces.

According to Syrian Civil Defense, a civilian named Fadda Ibrahim Al-Muhaimeed, a 12-year old, was killed and her sister Nada Al-Muhaimeed, a 8-year old, sustained various injuries after the intense missile and artillery bombardment, striking the tent they were inhabiting with their family in the agricultural land on the outskirts of Sarmin. Additionally, the Civil Defense team transferred the body of the child and of the injured sister from Sarmin Hospital to Idlib City Hospital and inspected the place of the bombing and secured it.

As mentioned by correspondent Al-Arabiya/ Al-Hadath in Syria, the Syrian regime struck a tent on the outskirts of the city of Sarmin, in the countryside. This is also supported by the statement of the Syrian Network for Human Rights in which it reports that one of the missiles landed next to the tent in which Fadda Ibrahim Al-Muhaimeed lived, causing her death and the injury of her sister Nada Al-Muhaimeed. Multiple local sources mentioned that both of the children were displaced from the town of Afes the day before the bombing due to heavy bombardment in Afes.

Sources were conflicted as to who was responsible for the shelling, with some sources attributing the bombardment to the Syrian regime while others blamed the Russian military, with multiple sources mentioning the use of heavy weapons in the attack.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (2)

Fadda Ibrahim Al-Muhaimeed فضة ابراهيم المحيميد
12 years old female killed
Nada Ibrahim al-Muhaimeed ندى إبراهيم المحيميد
8 years old female injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture, IDP or refugee camp
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected belligerents
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (19) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (15) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @alking14399969
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: SCD
  • Source: SCD
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: SCD
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: SCD
  • Image of Fadda al-Muhaimeed, 12 years old, killed on September 4, 2023. Source: @Omar_Madaniah
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @Eliass_Ahmed97
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @khaled_mosle
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @TvIdlib
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @TvIdlib
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @TvIdlib
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @TvIdlib
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SN4HR
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Alarabiya news
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ahmad

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Syrian Regime Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Syrian Regime
  • Syrian Regime position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture, IDP or refugee camp
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected belligerents
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (19) [ collapse]