Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

R4531

Incident date

July 11, 2023

Location

الأتارب, Al Atareb, Aleppo, Syria

Airwars assessment

On July 11th 2023, Syrian Civil Defense volunteer Abdul Basset Ahmed Abdel-Khalek was killed when Syrian regime and/or Russian forces reportedly struck a rescue vehicle in the vicinity of the city of Atareb, west of Aleppo.

Local sources including @SyriaCivilDefe and Rasd Syria News stated that Abdul was killed in a double tap attack by regime forces with a guided missile, while the team was inspecting places that were hit by artillery shelling.

The Syria Monitoring Network of Human Rights reported that the “Syrian regime forces are still continuing their violations against civilians in their areas of control, violating international laws and non-compliance with them, and violating the ceasefire agreement, and recently increased shelling by the Syrian regime forces on civilian-populated cities.”

A tweet from @jabalybaraa includes a video of the Civil Defense vehicle up in flames, which was attributed to a guided missile, which resulted in the death of the volunteer.

The majority of the sources attributed the missile attack to the Syrian regime, while @tAAprK80Nn3GKmd identified Russian forces as responsible.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Abdul Basset Ahmed Abdel-Khalek
Adult male killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 man1 healthcare_personnel)
  • 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

Sources (23) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (6) [ collapse]

  • With great sadness and sorrow, we mourn the death of our volunteer, “Abdul Basit Ahmed Abdul Khaleq,” a martyr in a double attack by the regime forces with a guided heat missile that targeted the rescue vehicle while the team was working to inspect places that were hit by artillery shelling of the regime forces, on the outskirts of the city of Atarib, west of #Aleppo, today, Tuesday, July 11. (Syrian Civil Defense)
  • Yesterday he was donating his blood to save a human life, and today he donated his soul and the most precious thing he owns. The volunteer martyr: Abdulbaset Abdulkhaleq during his participation about a month ago in the International Day of Blood Donors. (Image posted by Syrian Civil Defense)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Moments full of sadness and oppression during the recovery of the body of the volunteer "Abdul Basset Ahmed Abdul Khaleq" who was martyred in a double attack by the regime forces by targeting a rescue team's car in the Syrian Civil Defense with a guided missile while the team was inspecting places that were subjected to artillery shelling by the regime forces southeast of the city of Atareb, west of Aleppo, today, Tuesday 11 July.
  • Abdul Basset Ahmed Abdel-Khalek, a civil defense volunteer, was killed by alleged Syrian regime or Russian strikes in Atareb on July 11, 2023. (Image posted by @anasanas84)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Moments documenting the targeting by the regime forces of the car of the rescue team of the Syrian Civil Defense in the city of Atarib, and the martyrdom of the volunteer Abdulbaset Abdulkhaleq during the team's response to inspect the places of artillery shelling with a mortar shell from the regime forces on the outskirts of the city of Atarib yesterday, Tuesday, July 11.

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 man1 healthcare_personnel)
  • 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

Sources (23) [ collapse]