Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

TS560

Incident date

October 12, 2022

Location

شيراوا, Sherawa district, Afrin, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.466500, 36.887006 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Additional Geolocations

36.464198, 36.866351 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map 36.410735, 36.862676 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Up to three women, including a pregnant woman, were killed and children were injured in clashes between Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and Turkish forces-associated Levant Front in the Sherawa district of Afrin on October 12, 2022.

Hawar News reported that three women, including a pregnant woman, were killed and children were injured in the clashes, specifically artillery shelling and tanks, between Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and the Levant Front in occupied Afrin. A local source told Hawar that the casualties occurred in the villages of Burj Abdalo, Karzila and Ain Dara in Sherawa district, and that the pregnant woman named Fatima Mahmoud al-Abed that was killed was from the village of Karzila.

Al Khabour posted on Facebook that one of the women was killed by artillery shelling by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham on the village of Burj Abdalo. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also identified a woman as being killed by “indiscriminate bullets and shrapnel” but did not specify which village in Sherawa district.

A video posted by Ahmad M. Ahmad shows the moment a shell fell on the home of a civilian in the village of Karzila.

Source were conflicted as to whether the casualties were caused by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and the Levant Front, a Turkish proxy fighting force.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Fatima Mahmoud al-Abed
Adult female pregnant killed

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention strikes on the villages of Karzila (قرزيحل), Ayn Dara (عين دارة), and Burj Abdalo (برج عبد الله). The generic coordinates for Karzila are: 36.466500, 36.887006. The generic coordinates for Ayn Dara are: 36.464198, 36.866351. The generic coordinates for Burj Abdalo are: 36.410735, 36.862676. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the locations further.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery, Ground operation
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 3
  • (1–3 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–3
  • 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
    Turkish Military, Rebel Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda/HTS

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    One of the victims of clashes between Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and the Levant Front in Afrin on October 12, 2022. (Image posted by Hawar News)
  • What is happening since this morning in the city of Afrin and its environs is fierce battles between the armed factions affiliated with Turkey. Artillery shelling targeting the vicinity of the city of Afrin at these moments. Violent clashes in the villages of Shirawa district, extending to the outskirts of Afrin. - Violent clashes inside the village of Karzila/Krzyhel in Shirawa district. -According to a call I had with my parents inside the Jindires district, the sounds of violent clashes are heard from the south of the district, and the clashes are concentrated in the villages of Deir Ballut and Muhammadiyah. The video below shows the moment a shell fell on the house of a civilian in the village of Karzila / Karzyhel. "We wish safety to our people in the city of Afrin and its villages"

Turkish Military Assessment:

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

Rebel Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Rebel Forces
  • Rebel Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery, Ground operation
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 3
  • (1–3 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–3
  • 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
    Turkish Military, Rebel Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al Qaeda/HTS

Sources (5) [ collapse]