Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS3511

Incident date

July 5, 2018

Location

صيدا , Sayda, Daraa, Syria

Geolocation

32.6290749, 36.2233829 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Six civilians, including four children, of the same family, were reportedly killed in suspected Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on Sayda, Dara’a governorate, on July 5th, 2018, according to local sources.

Step News reported that “more than 25 Russian airstrikes targeted the town on Thursday morning [July 5th]”, killing the family who was “displaced from the city of Dara’a”, according to For Southern Syria.

One woman, Rawda Mustafa Faluji, and her four children were reportedly killed, according to four sources, while the For Southern Syria also named Rawda’s sister, Asma Mustafa Faluji, as killed in the strikes. @SyriaCivilDefe, among other sources, indeed reported that two women and four children were killed.

Syrian Civil Defence teams recovered the bodies and transported them to the city of Dara’a Al Balad.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that it had “counted the killing of at least six civilians, including a woman and four children, as a result of the bombing of Sayda, which has been under constant raids since yesterday.”

While several sources blamed both Russia and the Syrian, regime, other sources, such as Al Arabiya, pointed specifically to Russia as the belligerent.

The incident occured in the morning.

The victims were named as:

Family members (6)

Rawda Mustafa Faluji
Adult female Mother of four children killed killed
Asma Mustafa Faluji
Adult female Sister of Rawda killed
Child of Rawda Mustafa Faluji
Child
Child of Rawda Mustafa Faluji
Child
Child of Rawda Mustafa Faluji
Child
Child of Rawda Mustafa Faluji
Child

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Sayda (صيدا ), for which the generic coordinates are: 32.6290749, 36.2233829. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6
  • (4 children2 women)
  • 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.
  • Suspected belligerents
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime
  • Suspected target
    Unknown

Sources (17) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (11) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Four children of the Mustafa Faluji family killed in July 5th airstrikes on Seyda, Daraa (via Syrian Network for Human Rights)

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Translation: "A massacre of the Russian occupation air forces on the town of Saida in the countryside of Daraa, where a mother and four children were killed" (via @Wesal_TV).

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Bodies of children who were killed in alleged Russian and/or Syrian regime airstrikes on the town of Sayda on July 5th, 2018 (via @Wesal_TV).

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Translation: "A whole family of six people is martyred due to the aerial bombardment of the Assad regime and Russia on the town of Sayda in the Dara’a countryside" (via @HadiAlabdallah).

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    A Syrian Civil Defence volunteer carrying the body of a child after alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on the town of Sayda on July t5h, 2018 (via @Layalhaddad).

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    A Syrian Civil Defence volunteer carrying the body of a child after alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on the town of Sayda on July t5h, 2018 (via @Layalhaddad).

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Translation: "A massacre this morning by the Russian air force in the town of Saida in Daraa, in which a mother and four children were killed" (via @3amaral7arery).

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    The bodies of woman and her child, who were killed in alleged Russian and/or Syrian regime airstrikes on the town of Sayda on July 5th, 2018 (via @3amaral7arery).

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Photos of the Syrian Civil Defence recovering the bodies after alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on the town of Sayda, July 5th, 2018 (via @BonnieKipperman).

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Photo of Syrian Civil Defence volunteers recovering the body of a victim after alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on the town of Sayda, July 5th, 2018 (via @BonnieKipperman).

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

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
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6
  • (4 children2 women)
  • 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.
  • Suspected belligerents
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime
  • Suspected target
    Unknown

Sources (17) [ collapse]