(Previous Incident Codes: R3117RS3322)

Between four and eight civilians, including two children and two women, died in alleged Russian or regime air or artillery or rocket strikes on Ayn Tarma, according to sources on the ground. There were conflicting reports blaming both Russia and the regime, and it remains unclear which party was responsible for the civilian harm.

Initial reporting by @Wesal_TV and @HalabTodayTV put the death toll at four civilians. However, other sources said that this number climbed to six or eight killed.

According to the Smart News Agency, “The town of Ayn Tarma in the Eastern Ghouta of the Syrian capital of Damascus, on Wednesday, March 21, 2018, was subjected to dozens of raids from warplanes of Russia and the Syrian regime forces. Additionally, helicopters dropped dozens of barrel bombs, coinciding with artillery shells and rockets, killing eight civilians, including two children and two women”.

Among the victims was journalist and photographer Obaida Abu Omar, who worked for several media to document massacres and destruction in Eastern Ghouta.

Smart wrote: “The house of the photographer Obaida Abu Omar in the town of Ayn Tirma was hit by rocket fire, killing him and injuring other civilians, including his brother and the Smart correspondent in eastern Ghouta. Civilians close to Abu Omar buried his body in a nearby cemetery.”

Smart added: “For several years, Abu Omar worked as a collaborator with Smart and a number of other media. He took photographs of massacres committed by regime forces and Russia in several cities and towns in the eastern Gouta. He also documented several stages in the revolutionary movement and the suffering of those trapped.”

On his Facebook account, Obaida Abu Omar wrote about his colleague Ahmad Hamdan, “who died in a similar bombing a few days” ago. He said that Ahmad Hamdan was “one of the most beautiful roses of Al Ghouta, (…) a man with a beautiful smile and a high morals”.