Conflict

Russian Military in Syria

Incident Code

RS3546

Location

خان شيخون, Khan Sheikhoun, Ma'arat al-Numan, Syria

Geolocation

35.440813, 36.649361
Accuracy: Town

Airwars Assessment

Last Updated: August 13, 2025

(Previous Incident Codes: R3352RS3562)

A child was killed and four other children injured when a cluster bomb exploded in Khan Sheikhoun on September 19th, 2018, according to local sources. The victim was identified as Abdullah Mahmoud Al-Salmu.

@24Idlib tweeted “The child Abdullah Mahmoud Al-Salmu was killed and four other children were wounded by a bomb explosion from the remnants of the previous shelling of the regime forces on Khan Sheikhoun, south of Idlib.”

However, Edlib Media Center said the cluster bomb is a remnant of a previous Russian bombing. “Four children were injured in the city of Khan Sheikhon in rural Idlib by a cluster bomb explosion left by a former Russian bombing.”

 

Assessment Updates

13 August 2025
Geolocation added. Incident had not been geolocated when originally published.

Key Information

Country
Military Actor
Strike Status
Contested strike
Civilian Harm Reported
Yes
Civilian Harm Status
Contested
Civilians reported killed
1
1 Child
Civilians reported injured
4
4 Children

Geolocation Notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Khan Sheikhoun (خان شيخون), for which the generic coordinates are: 35.440813, 36.649361. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Military Statements

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

Media from Sources (1)