Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

R4466

Incident date

September 8, 2022

Location

حفسرجة, Hafsarja, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

Between two to seven civilians were killed including one to three children and seven to 16 other civilians were wounded, in an alleged Russian airstrike destroying a house and a stone sawmill in Hafsarja in Idlib province on September 8th, 2022.

Al Khabour news reported the lowest number of civilians killed at two and the Syrian Civil Defense, Shaam News, and multiple other sources reported the highest death toll with seven civilians killed including between one to three children. Abdo Al-Tayfur Abu Lama and his two children Ahmed Al-Tayfur and Madyan Al-Tayfur were reportedly killed in the strikes. They were internally displaced persons from a village named Dana who were living in Idlib and the father worked at the sawmill. Hafsarja deaths also named Bilal Abdul Majid Staifi, a young adult as a victim of the airstrikes. Furthermore, Abdulkarim Khaled Awaida (Oweida) and Shahem Abdul Eid were also killed. Awaida was a child and Abdul Eid was either a young adult or a teenager. Additionally, the reports named Tayseer Mohammed Al-Daher as killed in the attack. @MMCSYR noted that the victims of the attack were workers ‘trying to survive and support their children’ and that it was a ‘massacre’. @omar_madaniah also posted a photo of a man holding a hand torn from the body of one of the victims after the strike.

The number of civilians wounded varied from seven injured according to @MMCSYR, 11 according to SNHR and 16 according to @fatina_sam98. Overall, the @SyrianCoalition confirmed that the toll was ‘indefinite’ and continuously rising.

The airstrike was allegedly undertaken by three to four Russian ‘fixed-wing warplanes’ who launched 11 to 16 consecutive air raids on a house and a stone sawmill as they took turns firing the missiles. These were reportedly ‘loaded with cluster bombs’ and the SOHR alleged that surface-to-surface missiles were used. Furthermore, Radio Al Kul news and SY-24 noted that vacuum missiles were simultaneously used in the attack. The air traffic observatory reported that four planes were seen taking off from the Russian Hmeimim base which then circled above Hafsarja, launching the attack. The debris and shrapnel resulting from the attack also hit an informal IDP camp located 200 metres away from the workshop causing mass damage to the infrastructure. The SNHR stressed that the attack by Russian forces violated the ceasefire agreement in place between Russia and Turkey which came into place on March 6th, 2020.

The incident seemed to take place during the day as the videos and photographs indicate. More specifically, ‘Observatory 80’ wrote to Enab Baladi informing them that two Su-24, Su-34, and Su-35 warplanes departed from the Russian air base at 10:22 in the morning to launch their attack. The location of the incident was in the west of Idlib city in the town of Hafsarja.

The incident occured during the day.

The victims were named as:

Family members (3)

Abdo Al-Tayfur Abu Lama
Adult male father of Ahmed and Madyan killed
Ahmed Al-Tayfur
Child male
Madyan Al-Tayfur
Child female

The victims were named as:

Bilal Abdul Majid Staifi
Age unknown male reportedly a young adult killed
Abdulkarim Khaled waida
Child male killed
Shahem Abdul Eid
Age unknown male reportedly either a young adult or a teenager killed
Tayseer Mohammed Al-Daher
Age unknown killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    IDP or refugee camp
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 7
  • (1–3 children)
  • Civilians reported injured
    7–16
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military

Sources (77) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (62) [ collapse]

  • Syrian Civil Defense reported that seven civilians were killed as a result of a Russian missile hitting a sawmil on the outskirts of the village of Hafsarja (Image via @SyriaCivilDefe / Twitter)
  • Syrian Civil Defense reported that seven civilians were killed as a result of a Russian missile hitting a sawmil on the outskirts of the village of Hafsarja (Image via @SyriaCivilDefe / Twitter)
  • Syrian Civil Defense reported that seven civilians were killed as a result of a Russian missile hitting a sawmil on the outskirts of the village of Hafsarja (Image via @SyriaCivilDefe / Twitter)
  • Syrian Civil Defense reported that seven civilians were killed as a result of a Russian missile hitting a sawmil on the outskirts of the village of Hafsarja (Image via @SyriaCivilDefe / Twitter)
  • Syrian Civil Defense reported that seven civilians were killed as a result of a Russian missile hitting a sawmil on the outskirts of the village of Hafsarja (Image via @SyriaCivilDefe / Twitter)
  • Syrian Civil Defense reported that seven civilians were killed as a result of a Russian missile hitting a sawmil on the outskirts of the village of Hafsarja (Image via @SyriaCivilDefe / Twitter)
  • Syrian Civil Defense reported that seven civilians were killed as a result of a Russian missile hitting a sawmil on the outskirts of the village of Hafsarja (Image via @SyriaCivilDefe / Twitter)
  • Syrian Civil Defense reported that seven civilians were killed as a result of a Russian missile hitting a sawmil on the outskirts of the village of Hafsarja (Image via @SyriaCivilDefe / Twitter)
  • @abuhuzaifa_ reported that among the dead was a father and his son and others that were wounded (Image via Twitter)
  • "Smoke rising as a result of Russian raids targeting the vicinity of the town of Hafsara in the Roj Plain, west of Idlib." (Image via @EdlibEmc1 / Twitter)
  • "Smoke rising as a result of Russian raids targeting the vicinity of the town of Hafsara in the Roj Plain, west of Idlib." (Image via @EdlibEmc1 / Twitter)
  • "Civilian martyrs and wounded as a result of Russian warplanes targeting Sahel al-Rouj and Sheikh Yusuf areas, west of Idlib city" (Image via @MMCSYR / Twitter)
  • "Civilian martyrs and wounded as a result of Russian warplanes targeting Sahel al-Rouj and Sheikh Yusuf areas, west of Idlib city" (Image via @MMCSYR / Twitter)
  • "Civilian martyrs and wounded as a result of Russian warplanes targeting Sahel al-Rouj and Sheikh Yusuf areas, west of Idlib city" (Image via @MMCSYR / Twitter)
  • "Seven civilians were killed and seven were injured as a result of the bombing of Russian warplanes today, Thursday, September 8, near the town of Hafsarja in the western Idlib countryside" (Image via @MMCSYR / Twitter)
  • "Seven civilians were killed and seven were injured as a result of the bombing of Russian warplanes today, Thursday, September 8, near the town of Hafsarja in the western Idlib countryside" (Image via @MMCSYR / Twitter)
  • "Seven civilians were killed and seven were injured as a result of the bombing of Russian warplanes today, Thursday, September 8, near the town of Hafsarja in the western Idlib countryside" (Image via @MMCSYR / Twitter)
  • "Seven civilians were killed and seven were injured as a result of the bombing of Russian warplanes today, Thursday, September 8, near the town of Hafsarja in the western Idlib countryside" (Image via @MMCSYR / Twitter)
  • "Exclusive photo for SNHR showing the destruction caused to a stonemason’s workshop by Russian airstrikes in the south of Hafserja village." (Image via SNHR)
  • "Exclusive photo for SNHR showing the destruction caused to a stonemason’s workshop by Russian airstrikes in the south of Hafserja village." (Image via SNHR)
  • "The death toll of Russian warplanes bombing Hafsara, west of Idlib, has risen to 7 civilians." (Image via @nahermedia / Twitter)
  • "Seven Syrian civilians, including a child, were killed and 10 others were injured in a Russian bombing targeting a stone quarry in the village of Hafsara in Idlib, in the de-escalation zone in northern Syria" (Image via @AJArabic / Twitter)
  • "Seven Syrian civilians, including a child, were killed and 10 others were injured in a Russian bombing targeting a stone quarry in the village of Hafsara in Idlib, in the de-escalation zone in northern Syria" (Image via @AJArabic / Twitter)
  • "Seven Syrian civilians, including a child, were killed and 10 others were injured in a Russian bombing targeting a stone quarry in the village of Hafsara in Idlib, in the de-escalation zone in northern Syria" (Image via @AJArabic / Twitter)
  • "Seven Syrian civilians, including a child, were killed and 10 others were injured in a Russian bombing targeting a stone quarry in the village of Hafsara in Idlib, in the de-escalation zone in northern Syria" (Image via @AJArabic / Twitter)
  • "This man holds a "hand left of a body" that was torn by the raids of Assad's and Russia's planes in Hafsarja, west of Idlib…" (Image via @Omar_Madaniah / Twitter)
  • "Direct hits by more than 9 air strikes by the Russian and Syrian air forces, targeting the sites and hideouts of mercenaries belonging to Turkey in the vicinity of the village of Hafsarja, west of Idlib " (Image via @idleb_online / Twitter)
  • "The two martyrs, Abdo Al-Tayfur and his son Ahmed Al-Tayfur, from the village of #Dana, north of #Maarat_al-Numan, as a result of the raids of the #Russian occupation this morning on the outskirts of the village of #Hafsara, west of #Idlib" (Image via @Anasanas84 / Twitter)
  • AFP capture the destruction caused by the missiles (Image via AFP)
  • "A new massacre committed by the Russian occupation militia, which resulted in 5 martyrs and more than 10 wounded, after 16 air strikes carried out by the Russian occupation aircraft on Hafsara, west of Idlib" (Image via @ibrahim78197182 / Twitter)
  • Blood after the attack on a sawmill in Hafsarja on September 8th 2022 (Image via @SDpwVt32qoeu9ih / Twitter)
  • "The death toll from the bombing of the Russian warplanes on the outskirts of the town of Hafsarja, west of Idlib, has risen to 15 wounded and two martyred The martyrs are Abdo Tayfur and his son from the town of Dana, north of Maarat al-Numan, south of Idlib." (Image via @lyalraq13900368 / Twitter)
  • Those that were killed after a Russian missile reportedly hit a sawmill in Hafsarja, west of Idlib (Image via @SatamRslan / Twitter)
  • Baladi uploaded photos of the site of the destruction (Image via Baladi)
  • Baladi uploaded photos of the site of the destruction (Image via Baladi)
  • Baladi uploaded photos of the site of the destruction (Image via Baladi)
  • "The eye sheds tears and the heart grieves God is enough, and yes, the agent" Nasser Haj Yusuf posted on Facebook about a loved one (Image via Facebook)
  • Bilal Abdul majid Staifi, reportedly killed in a Russian attack on a sawmill in Hafsarja (Image via Hafsarja deaths / Facebook)
  • Abdulkarim Khaled Awaida reportedly killed in a Russian attack on a sawmill in Hafsarja (Image via Hafsarja deaths / Facebook)
  • Shahem Abdul Eid reportedly killed in a Russian attack on a sawmill in Hafsarja (Image via Hafsarja deaths / Facebook)
  • "Martyrs so far. The child Abdul Karim Khaled Owaida Child Shahem Abdo Eid And the young man, Bilal Bakour Stefi From the village of Hafsarja Abdo Tayfour and his sons Ahmed and Madyan Displaced people from the town of Al-Dana, near Maarat al-Numan." (Image via Hafsarja / Facebook)
  • "Martyrs so far. The child Abdul Karim Khaled Owaida Child Shahem Abdo Eid And the young man, Bilal Bakour Stefi From the village of Hafsarja Abdo Tayfour and his sons Ahmed and Madyan Displaced people from the town of Al-Dana, near Maarat al-Numan." (Image via Hafsarja / Facebook)
  • "Martyrs so far. The child Abdul Karim Khaled Owaida Child Shahem Abdo Eid And the young man, Bilal Bakour Stefi From the village of Hafsarja Abdo Tayfour and his sons Ahmed and Madyan Displaced people from the town of Al-Dana, near Maarat al-Numan." (Image via Hafsarja / Facebook)
  • "The two martyrs, Abdo Al-Tayfur and his son Ahmed Al-Tayfur, from the village of #Dana, north of #Maarat_al-Numan, as a result of the raids of the #Russian occupation this morning on the outskirts of the village of #Hafsara, west of #Idlib" (Image via Green Idlib / Facebook)
  • "The two martyrs, Abdo Al-Tayfur and his son Ahmed Al-Tayfur, from the village of #Dana, north of #Maarat_al-Numan, as a result of the raids of the #Russian occupation this morning on the outskirts of the village of #Hafsara, west of #Idlib" (Image via Green Idlib / Facebook)
  • "The two martyrs, Abdo Al-Tayfur and his son Ahmed Al-Tayfur, from the village of #Dana, north of #Maarat_al-Numan, as a result of the raids of the #Russian occupation this morning on the outskirts of the village of #Hafsara, west of #Idlib" (Image via Green Idlib / Facebook)
  • MMC posted photos of the destruction and the recovery operation.
  • MMC posted photos of the destruction and the recovery operation.
  • MMC posted photos of the destruction and the recovery operation.
  • MMC posted photos of the destruction and the recovery operation.
  • MMC posted photos of the destruction and the recovery operation.
  • MMC posted photos of the destruction and the recovery operation.
  • MMC posted photos of the destruction and the recovery operation.
  • MMC posted photos of the destruction and the recovery operation.
  • MMC posted photos of the destruction and the recovery operation.
  • MMC posted photos of the destruction and the recovery operation.
  • MMC posted photos of the destruction and the recovery operation.
  • MMC posted photos of the destruction and the recovery operation.
  • MMC posted photos of the destruction and the recovery operation.
  • MMC posted photos of the destruction and the recovery operation.
  • MMC posted photos of the destruction and the recovery operation.
  • MMC posted photos of the destruction and the recovery operation.

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    IDP or refugee camp
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 7
  • (1–3 children)
  • Civilians reported injured
    7–16
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military

Sources (77) [ collapse]