Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

R4376

Incident date

August 20, 2021

Location

كنصفرة, Kansafra, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

At least four children from the same family were killed and their mother and two other men were injured in alleged Russian or regime or Iranian strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021.

Syrian Civil Defense reported “four children from one family were killed, and two civilians were injured, this morning, Friday, August 20, by artillery shelling of the regime forces and Russia with laser-guided shells”.

@abuhuzaifa_ provided the names of the children killed: Ayat Al Omar 12 years old, Muhammad 9 years old, Mary 6 years, Hatem 3 years. A tweet from @DeirEzzore added that Muhammad Faisal Al-Khalil is the father of the children.

An image posted by @thawrat111 shows the bottle belonging to one of the children that was killed amongst the rubble of their home.

Al Jazeera wrote that a reporter for the French Press Agency saw the father crying over the bodies of three of his children in a cemetery when the remains of his fourth child were brought to the cemetery. The fourth child had to be buried in a hurry because bombing had begun again in the area.

Macro Media Center also identified four children as being killed in the strikes but put the number of injured at five, all from the same family. Radio Al Kul identified the mother of the children killed as being injured in the strikes and added that two men were seriously injured in a bombardment of another home in the same village.

According to @zelal_abo_adnan, the father of the children killed had gone to work the day of the strike and his wife was able to escape the bombing with the youngest child just moments before the shell landed on a nearby home.

Sources were conflicted as to whether Russia or the regime were responsible for the strikes. Radio Al Kul blamed the shelling on regime forces stationed in the vicinity of the city of Kafr Nabl. However, Syrian Network for Human Rights attributed the strikes to Russian artillery forces along with a Russian surveillance plane overhead and identified Krasnopol laser guided shells as being used. Anadolu Agency pointed to both the regime and Iran as being responsible for the strikes.

The incident occured around dawn.

The victims were named as:

Family members (4)

12 years old killed
9 years old killed
6 years old killed
3 years old killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4
  • (4 children)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–5
  • 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, Iranian Military

Sources (32) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (39) [ collapse]

  • White Helmets remove the body of one of the victims of the strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by Syrian Civil Defense)
  • White Helmets sort through the rubble following strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by Syrian Civil Defense)
  • White Helmets remove the body of one of the victims of the strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by Syrian Civil Defense)
  • White Helmets sort through the rubble following strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by Syrian Civil Defense)
  • Four children from the same family were killed by artillery shelling by the Assad militia and Russia targeting civilian homes in the town of Kansafra in Jabal Al-Zawiya, south of Idlib.
  • People gather for the funeral of the children killed in strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by Macro Media Center)
  • Destruction caused by strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by Edlib Media Center)
  • Destruction caused by strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by Edlib Media Center)
  • Destruction caused by strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by Edlib Media Center)
  • Four children from the same family were killed by artillery shelling by the Assad militia and Russia targeting civilian homes in the town of Kansafra in Jabal Al-Zawiya, south of Idlib.
  • Bodies of the victims, all children, killed in strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by @abuhuzaifa_)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Very graphic image of one of the children killed in strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by @abdalwhab761)
  • Very graphic image of the children killed in strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by @mzmgr941)
  • Image of the four children that were killed in strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by @dbOFRYEU7XqMrTc)
  • Funeral for the children killed in strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by @AlarabyTV)
  • Destruction caused by strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by @AlarabyTV)
  • Destruction caused by strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by @AlarabyTV)
  • Destruction caused by strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by @AlarabyTV)
  • Body of one of the victims killed in strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by @feryal222kakhi)
  • Destruction caused by strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by @feryal222kakhi)
  • Bodies of the victims, all children, killed in strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by @feryal222kakhi)
  • A bottle belonging to one of the children that was killed in the strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by @thawrat111)
  • Bodies of the victims of the strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by @ajplusarabi)
  • Damage caused by the strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by @ajplusarabi)
  • Explosion caused by the strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by @ajplusarabi)
  • People mourn the victims of the strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by @ajplusarabi)
  • Residents sort through their belongs and save what they can following strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by @_abdulazizketaz)
  • Funeral and burial for the children killed in strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by @bN2HlKac9SVdqtL)
  • Family and friends mourn the children killed in strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by Anadolu Agency)
  • Family and friends mourn the children killed in strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by Anadolu Agency)
  • Family and friends mourn the children killed in strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by Anadolu Agency)
  • Family and friends mourn the children killed in strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by Anadolu Agency)
  • Funeral for the children killed in strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by Anadolu Agency)
  • Residents sort through their belongs and save what they can following strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by Anadolu Agency)
  • Residents sort through their belongs and save what they can following strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by Anadolu Agency)
  • Residents sort through their belongs and save what they can following strikes on Kansafra on August 20, 2021. (Image posted by Anadolu Agency)

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

Iranian Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4
  • (4 children)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–5
  • 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, Iranian Military

Sources (32) [ collapse]