Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident date

November 7, 2023

Incident Code

R4620

LOCATION

تفتناز, Taftanaz, east of Idlib, Syria, Idlib, Syria

Shortly before 12:20 PM on Tuesday, 7th November 2023, a civilian man was killed and five civilians, including at least two children, were injured, as a result of the alleged missile strikes perpetrated by the Syrian regime forces and/or the Russian military and/or Iranian military that hit a civilian car and civilian homes in the

Summary

First published
November 7, 2023
Last updated
July 17, 2024
Strike status
Contested strike
Strike type
Airstrike and/or Artillery
Civilian infrastructure
Residential building
Civilian harm reported
Yes
Civilians reported killed
1
(1 man)
Civilians reported injured
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
Named victims
3 named
View Incident

Incident date

October 29, 2023

Incident Code

R4617

LOCATION

كنصفرة, outskirts of Kansafra, Idlib, Idlib, Syria

Shortly before 8:55 AM on Sunday, October 29, 2023, a 17-year-old-girl was injured by artillery shelling with contested responsibility allegedly perpetrated by Syrian regime forces and/or Russian military and/or Iranian military while she was harvesting olives with her family on the outskirts of Kansafra, in the southern countryside of Idlib, Syria. Twitter/X user @Ahmad_1alshble was

Summary

First published
October 29, 2023
Last updated
July 2, 2024
Strike status
Contested strike
Strike type
Artillery
Civilian infrastructure
Agriculture
Civilian harm reported
Yes
Civilians reported killed
Unknown
Civilians reported injured
1
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.
Impact
Food
Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
Suspected belligerents
Syrian Regime, Russian Military, Iranian Military
View Incident

Incident date

October 22, 2023

Incident Code

R4612

LOCATION

أريحا, residential neighborhoods of the city of Ariha (Jericho), Idlib, Syria

Shortly before 9:14 PM on Sunday, October 22, 2023, a missile strike with contested responsibility allegedly perpetrated by Syrian regime forces and/or Russian and/or Iranian military injured four to five civilians, including two women and at least one child, in the residential neighborhoods of the city of Ariha (Jericho) located in the southern countryside of

Summary

First published
October 22, 2023
Last updated
July 2, 2024
Strike status
Contested strike
Strike type
Artillery
Civilian infrastructure
Healthcare facility, Residential building, School
Civilian harm reported
Yes
Civilians reported killed
Unknown
Civilians reported injured
4–5
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.
Impact
Education,Healthcare
Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
Suspected belligerents
Iranian Military, Russian Military, Syrian Regime
View Incident

Incident date

October 18, 2023

Incident Code

R4606

LOCATION

ترمانين, Termanin, north of Idlib, Idlib, Syria

Around 9 PM on Wednesday, October 18th, 2023, three civilians, including a child, were reportedly injured as a result of an alleged artillery attack in Termanin, north of Idlib, Syria. The attack was reportedly perpetrated by the Syrian regime and/or the Russian military and/or by the Iranian military. Allegedly, the attack hit a residential neighborhood

Summary

First published
October 18, 2023
Last updated
June 28, 2024
Strike status
Contested strike
Strike type
Artillery
Civilian infrastructure
Residential building
Civilian harm reported
No
Civilians reported killed
Unknown
Causes of injury / death
Accidents related to conflict, Heavy weapons and explosive munitions, Incendiary
Suspected belligerents
Russian Military, Iranian Military, Syrian Regime
View Incident

Incident date

October 7, 2023

Incident Code

R4592

LOCATION

كفرلاته, Kafar Lata, Idlib, Syria

Before 7:11 AM on the morning of Saturday, October 7th, 2023, the village of Kafar Lata in the southern countryside of Idlib, Syria, was hit by a missile bombardment attributed either to the Syrian regime forces and/or the Russian military and/or Iranian forces, resulting in the death of two children, and the injury of another

Summary

First published
October 7, 2023
Last updated
June 18, 2024
Strike status
Contested strike
Strike type
Artillery
Civilian harm reported
Yes
Civilians reported killed
2
(2 children)
Civilians reported injured
1
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
Named victims
3 named, 1 familiy identified
View Incident

Incident date

October 4, 2023

Incident Code

R4563

LOCATION

سرمين, Sarmin, Idlib, Syria

At least one civilian, a young girl, was killed and between six and eight others, including three children and two women, were injured by alleged Syrian regime and/or Russian and/or Iranian artillery strikes on the al-Shamali neighborhood in the city of Sarmin on October 4th, 2023. The @SyriaCivilDefe reported that a girl was killed and

Summary

First published
October 4, 2023
Last updated
February 9, 2024
Strike status
Contested strike
Strike type
Artillery
Civilian infrastructure
Religious Institution, School
Civilian harm reported
Yes
Civilians reported killed
1
(1 child)
Civilians reported injured
6–8
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.
Impact
Education
Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
Suspected belligerents
Russian Military, Syrian Regime, Iranian Military
Named victims
7 named, 1 familiy identified
View Incident

Incident date

March 24, 2023

Incident Code

IRS015

LOCATION

ذيبان, Dhiban, Deir Ezzor, Syria

On Friday March 24th, at 8:05 am, an Iranian militia allegedly launched rockets at Coalition forces at “Green Village,” an American base near al-Omar oil field east of Deir Ezzor. According to CENTCOM, the rockets missed the Coalition facility by approximately 5 km. Instead, they reportedly hit a house in Dhiban and injured two women

Summary

First published
March 24, 2023
Last updated
June 15, 2023
Strike status
Single source claim
Strike type
Airstrike, Drone Strike
Civilian harm reported
Yes
Civilians reported killed
Unknown
Civilians reported injured
4
Cause of injury / death
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Airwars civilian harm grading
Weak
Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
Suspected belligerent
Iranian Military
Suspected target
US
Geolocation
Town
View Incident

Incident date

November 14, 2022

Incident Code

IRI005

LOCATION

كويسنجق, Koya, Erbil, Iraq

At least one civilian was killed and up to 10 others were injured by alleged Iranian drone and rocket strikes in the city of Koya on November 14, 2022. Rudaw News reported that according to Koya’s mayor Tariq Haydari at 8:49am, four missiles struck the Koysanjaq district. Saman Barzinji, the Kurdistan Region’s health minister, told Rudaw

Summary

First published
November 14, 2022
Last updated
June 6, 2023
Strike status
Likely strike
Strike type
Airstrike, Airstrike and/or Artillery, Drone Strike
Civilian harm reported
Yes
Civilians reported killed
1 – 2
Civilians reported injured
8–10
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
Iranian Military
Geolocation
Nearby landmark
View Incident

Incident date

November 6, 2022

Incident Code

R4484 IRS014

LOCATION

مخيم مرام, Maram Refugee Camp, Idlib, Syria

Between six and 11 civilians, including up to four children, an elderly woman and a pregnant woman, were killed and up to 77 others, including a woman and five children, were injured by alleged Russian, Syrian regime, or Iranian militia missile attacks with cluster bombs against Maram refugee camp and other refugee camps closeby on

Summary

First published
November 6, 2022
Last updated
June 15, 2023
Strike status
Contested strike
Strike type
Airstrike and/or Artillery
Civilian infrastructure
IDP or refugee camp
Civilian harm reported
Yes
Civilians reported killed
6 – 11
(2–4 children1–2 women2 men)
Civilians reported injured
40–77
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, Iranian Military, Syrian Regime
Named victims
20 named, 3 families identified
View Incident

Incident date

September 28, 2022

Incident Code

IRI004

LOCATION

كويسنجق, زرغوز, التون كوبري, Koya, Zargwez, Altun Kupri, Erbil, Iraq

On September 28th, 2022, at around 10:30 am, dozens of Iranian missiles and drone strikes reportedly killed between 13 to 14 people, according to official fatality estimates, though some local media estimated that it could be up to 18. Between 58 to 62 others were injured. The strikes were conducted in a number of areas

Summary

First published
September 28, 2022
Last updated
June 6, 2023
Strike status
Likely strike
Strike type
Airstrike and/or Artillery
Civilian infrastructure
IDP or refugee camp, School
Civilian harm reported
Yes
Civilians reported killed
13 – 18
(2 children2 women1 man)
Civilians reported injured
58–62
Causes of injury / death
Accidents related to conflict, 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
Iranian Military
Suspected target
Other
Named victims
7 named, 1 familiy identified
Geolocation
Town
View Incident

Incident date

December 11, 2021

Incident Code

R4427

LOCATION

الوساطة, Al Wasata, Idlib, Syria

One child was killed and at least another civilian was injured in alleged Russian, regime, or Iran shelling of the Al Wasata area on the outskirts of the city of Al Atareb on December 12, 2021. Syrian Network for Human Rights reported that a 17 year old boy named Ismail Ahmad Barakat, from al Atareb

Summary

First published
December 12, 2021
Last updated
January 18, 2022
Strike status
Contested strike
Strike type
Artillery
Civilian harm reported
Yes
Civilians reported killed
1
(1 child)
Civilians reported injured
1–2
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
Named victims
1 named
View Incident

Incident date

September 27, 2021

Incident Code

R4394 IRS013

LOCATION

كفرنوران, Kafar Noran, Aleppo, Syria

Between three and five civilians, including a woman, were injured in alleged Russian or regime or Iranian artillery shelling and machine gun fire on the village of Kafr Noran on September 27, 2021. According to the Syrian Civil Defense, five civilians, including a woman, were wounded in mortar shelling by the Russian and regime forces

Summary

First published
September 27, 2021
Last updated
January 18, 2022
Strike status
Contested strike
Strike type
Airstrike and/or Artillery
Civilian harm reported
Yes
Civilians reported killed
Unknown
Civilians reported injured
3–5
Causes of injury / death
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions, Small arms and light weapons
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
View Incident

Incident date

September 8, 2021

Incident Code

R4387

LOCATION

مرعيان, Marayan, Idlib, Syria

At least one woman was killed and one to five others, including a child, were injured in alleged Russian or regime strikes on a home and medical facility in Marayan on September 8, 2021. According to @HadiAlabdallah, Russian airstrikes hit Marian Medical Center, the last medical center in Jabal Al-Zawiya, and killed one woman and

Summary

First published
September 8, 2021
Last updated
January 18, 2022
Strike status
Contested strike
Strike type
Airstrike and/or Artillery
Civilian harm reported
Yes
Civilians reported killed
1 – 2
(1 woman)
Civilians reported injured
1–5
Cause of injury / death
Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN)
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
View Incident

Incident date

August 29, 2021

Incident Code

IRS011

LOCATION

جلين, Jillen, Daraa, Syria

Between one and two civilians, including a woman, were killed and four others, including a woman, were injured in alleged Iranian or regime strikes on Jillin on August 29, 2021. According to Syrian Civil Defense, two civilians were killed and four others were injured in missile and artillery shelling by the regime in the neighborhoods

Summary

First published
August 29, 2021
Last updated
January 18, 2022
Strike status
Contested strike
Strike type
Airstrike and/or Artillery
Civilian harm reported
Yes
Civilians reported killed
1 – 2
(1 woman)
Civilians reported injured
4
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
Iranian Military, Syrian Regime
Named victims
1 named
View Incident

Incident date

August 29, 2021

Incident Code

IRS012

LOCATION

طريق السد, Tareeq Al Sad, Daraa, Syria

Between two and three civilians, including two men from the same family, were killed and up to four others were wounded in alleged Iranian or regime surface-to-surface missile strikes and artillery shelling on Tareeq al-Sad on August 29, 2021. According to Syrian Civil Defense (SCD), two civilians were killed and four others were injured in

Summary

First published
August 29, 2021
Last updated
January 18, 2022
Strike status
Contested strike
Strike type
Airstrike and/or Artillery
Civilian harm reported
Yes
Civilians reported killed
2 – 3
(2 men)
Civilians reported injured
2–4
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
Iranian Military, Syrian Regime
Named victims
2 named, 1 familiy identified
View Incident

Incident date

August 23, 2021

Incident Code

R4379

LOCATION

درعا البلد, Daraa Al Balad, Daraa, Syria

At least one civilian was killed and six other civilians were injured in alleged Russian or regime or Iranian strikes on Daraa Al Balad on August 23, 2021. A tweet from @Almohrar1 reported that the young man Yazn Al-Omari was killed in the strikes on Daraa Al Balad. @omar_alharir added that a number of civilians were

Summary

First published
August 23, 2021
Last updated
January 18, 2022
Strike status
Contested strike
Strike type
Airstrike and/or Artillery
Civilian harm reported
Yes
Civilians reported killed
1
(1 man)
Civilians reported injured
6
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
Iranian Military, Syrian Regime, Russian Military
Suspected target
Other
Named victims
1 named
View Incident

Incident date

August 23, 2021

Incident Code

R4378 IRS010

LOCATION

تقاد, Taqad, Aleppo, Syria

At least one child was injured in alleged Russian or regime or Iranian shelling of Taqad on August 23, 2021. According to the Syrian Civil Defense, a child was injured during artillery shelling of the  village of Taqad. All other sources that reported on civilian harm identified one child as being injured in the shelling

Summary

First published
August 23, 2021
Last updated
January 18, 2022
Strike status
Contested strike
Strike type
Artillery
Civilian harm reported
Yes
Civilians reported killed
Unknown
Civilians reported injured
1
Airwars civilian harm grading
Contested
Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
Suspected belligerents
Syrian Regime, Russian Military, Iranian Military
View Incident

Incident date

August 20, 2021

Incident Code

R4376

LOCATION

كنصفرة, Kansafra, Idlib, Syria

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

Summary

First published
August 20, 2021
Last updated
January 18, 2022
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
Named victims
4 named, 1 familiy identified
View Incident

Incident date

August 14, 2021

Incident Code

R4372

LOCATION

كفرتعال, Kafr Taal, Aleppo, Syria

Up to two civilians, including a woman and a child, were injured in alleged Russian or regime or Iranian strikes on Kafr Taal village on August 14, 2021. According to the Syrian Civil Defense, “a two-year-old child was injured by missile strikes by the regime and Russia forces, this morning, Saturday, August 14, targeting civilian homes

Summary

First published
August 14, 2021
Last updated
January 18, 2022
Strike status
Contested strike
Strike type
Airstrike and/or Artillery
Civilian harm reported
Yes
Civilians reported killed
Unknown
Civilians reported injured
2
Airwars civilian harm grading
Contested
Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
Suspected belligerents
Syrian Regime, Russian Military, Iranian Military
View Incident

Incident date

August 8, 2021

Incident Code

R4367

LOCATION

عين لاروز, Ain Larouz, Idlib, Syria

At least one civilians was killed and three others, including a child, were injured in alleged Russian, Iranian or regime artillery shelling on the town of Ain Larouz on August 8, 2021. @syriapostnew1 reported that “a civilian was killed and 3 others were wounded as a result of artillery shelling by the Syrian regime forces targeting

Summary

First published
August 8, 2021
Last updated
January 18, 2022
Strike status
Contested strike
Strike type
Artillery
Civilian harm reported
Yes
Civilians reported killed
1
(1 man)
Civilians reported injured
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
Russian Military, Syrian Regime, Iranian Military
View Incident

Incident date

July 31, 2021

Incident Code

R4361

LOCATION

درعا البلد, Daraa Al Balad, Daraa, Syria

At least one civilian was injured in alleged Russian/regime/Iranian strikes on Daraa Al Balad on July 31, 2021. @mohammed_asakra and Horan Free Media reported that civilians were injured but did not specify how many civilians. Images posted by Horan Free Media show extensive damage to civilian homes caused by the shelling. The majority of sources

Summary

First published
July 31, 2021
Last updated
January 18, 2022
Strike status
Contested strike
Strike type
Airstrike and/or Artillery
Civilian harm reported
Yes
Civilians reported killed
Unknown
Civilians reported injured
1–2
Airwars civilian harm grading
Contested
Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
Suspected belligerents
Syrian Regime, Russian Military, Iranian Military
View Incident

Incident date

July 29, 2021

Incident Code

R4359

LOCATION

دَرْعَا‎, Daraa, Syria

The journalist Atef Al-Saadi was injured while covering the conflict in Daraa by alleged Russian or regime strikes on July 29, 2021. According to @Nabel_othman023, “the revolutionary journalist, Atef Al-Saadi, was injured due to the shelling and clashes in Daraa”. @FARED_ALHOR identified Atef as being a photographer. @syria1agency added that Atef was injured “while covering

Summary

First published
July 29, 2021
Last updated
January 18, 2022
Strike status
Contested strike
Strike type
Airstrike and/or Artillery
Civilian harm reported
Yes
Civilians reported killed
Unknown
Civilians reported injured
1
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
Named victims
1 named
View Incident

Incident date

June 12, 2021

Incident Code

R4316 IRS008 YS105

LOCATION

عفرين, Afrin, Aleppo, Syria

At least one civilian was killed and others were injured in alleged Syrian Democratic Forces or Russian airstrikes on agricultural lands in the outskirts of Afrin on June 12, 2021. According to Macro Media Center, “a civilian was killed and others were wounded as a result of the bombing of the PYD PKK gangs with missiles

Summary

First published
June 12, 2021
Last updated
June 15, 2023
Strike status
Contested strike
Strike type
Airstrike and/or Artillery
Civilian harm reported
Yes
Civilians reported killed
1
Civilians reported injured
4
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 Democratic Forces, Iranian Military
Named victims
1 named
Geolocation
Exact location (via Airwars)
Belligerents reported killed
1
Belligerents reported injured
2
View Incident

Incident date

June 12, 2021

Incident Code

R4317 IRS009 YS106

LOCATION

مشفى الشفاء, Al Shifaa Hospital, Aleppo, Syria

At least 13 civilians, including four hospital staff and a pregnant woman, two to five other women, and one to three children, were killed and up to 50 others, including 11 hospital staff, were injured in alleged airstrikes and/or artillery shelling of Al-Shifaa Hospital in Afrin on June 12, 2021. Responsibility for the strikes is

Summary

First published
June 12, 2021
Last updated
August 25, 2022
Strike status
Contested strike
Strike type
Airstrike and/or Artillery
Civilian infrastructure
Healthcare facility
Civilian harm reported
Yes
Civilians reported killed
13 – 23
(1–3 children3–6 women9 men)
Civilians reported injured
15–50
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, Turkish Military, Syrian Democratic Forces, Iranian Military, Syrian Regime
Named victims
42 named, 3 families identified
Belligerents reported killed
3
View Incident

Incident date

May 3, 2021

Incident Code

R4305 IRS007

LOCATION

الفوعة, Al Fu'ah, Idlib, Syria

Up to four civilians, including two children and a woman, were killed and up to 11 others, including five children to six children and three women, were wounded in an alleged Iranian or Russian drone strike on a weapons depot near the Al-Furousiya camp for the displaced, in the vicinity of the town of Al-Foah

Summary

First published
May 3, 2021
Last updated
January 18, 2022
Strike status
Contested strike
Strike type
Airstrike, Drone Strike
Civilian harm reported
Yes
Civilians reported killed
1 – 4
(2 children1 woman1 man)
Civilians reported injured
6–11
Causes of injury / death
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions, Planted explosives and unexploded ordnance (UXO)
Airwars civilian harm grading
Fair
Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
Suspected belligerents
Iranian Military, Russian Military
Suspected target
Al Qaeda/HTS
Named victims
11 named
Belligerents reported killed
2–4
Belligerents reported injured
10
View Incident

Incident date

April 14, 2021

Incident Code

IRI003

LOCATION

جيدو, Gedo, Nineveh, Iraq

At least one civilian, a child, was injured in addition to a Turkish soldier being killed in alleged Iranian-affiliated militia strikes on the village of Gedo in Kurdistan Iraq on April 14, 2021. According to Rudaw, the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced “a missile attack was carried out on the village of Gedo in Bashiqa,

Summary

First published
April 14, 2021
Last updated
June 6, 2023
Strike status
Likely strike
Strike type
Airstrike and/or Artillery
Civilian harm reported
Yes
Civilians reported killed
Unknown
Civilians reported injured
1
Airwars civilian harm grading
Fair
Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
Named victims
1 named
Geolocation
Village
Belligerents reported killed
1
View Incident

Incident date

October 31, 2020

Incident Code

RS4529

LOCATION

تلتونه, Taltuna, Idlib, Syria

One civilian was reportedly killed and five others were injured after an alleged airstrike by a Russian or Syrian or Iranian drone on agricultural lands in the village of Taltuna, west of  Ma’arat Misrin north of Idlib on the morning of October 31st, 2020 according to local sources. According to sources including Orient news and

Summary

First published
October 31, 2020
Last updated
March 2, 2022
Strike status
Contested strike
Strike type
Airstrike, Drone Strike
Civilian harm reported
Yes
Civilians reported killed
1
Civilians reported injured
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
Suspected target
Unknown
View Incident

Incident date

October 31, 2020

Incident Code

RS4528

LOCATION

نحلية, Nahliya, Idlib, Syria

One civilian was reportedly killed, and three others, including one elderly woman, were injured as a result of alleged Russian or Iranian airstrikes or explosion of a suicide drone in the village of Nahlia, in the vicinity of the town of Ariha, south of Idlib on the afternoon of October 31st, 2020 according to Local

Summary

First published
October 31, 2020
Last updated
March 2, 2022
Strike status
Contested strike
Strike type
Airstrike, Drone Strike
Civilian harm reported
Yes
Civilians reported killed
1
Civilians reported injured
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
Russian Military, Iranian Military
Suspected target
Unknown
View Incident

Published

September 30, 2020

Written by

Airwars Syria team and Shihab Halep

At least 17 nations have intervened militarily in Syria in recent years. In their own words, Syrians describe the often devastating consequences for civilians.

In 1996, the US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was asked by reporter Lesley Stahl about sanctions against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq: “We have heard that a half million children have died. I mean, that’s more children than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it?” Stahl asked. The Secretary of State responded: “I think this is a very hard choice, but the price–we think the price is worth it.”

Airwars data collected from local sources indicates that since 2014, at least 15,000 civilians were likely killed as a result of airstrikes and shelling from at least 17 foreign powers fighting within Syria, including members of the US-led Coalition; Russia; Iran; Turkey; and Israel. Thousands more have been injured. Here the Airwars Syria team asks: has the price paid by civilians been worth it?

For some Syrians, the intervention of so many foreign powers in Syria has its origins in the Assad government’s mishandling of mass demonstrations in the early days of a national uprising. Jala, a Syrian woman now living in London, told Airwars “Had the crisis been managed correctly by the Syrian regime back in 2011, and had the regime focused on a political solution and refrained from using power against its own people and from deploying the army in Dara’a, the intervening powers wouldn’t have found a pretext, and we wouldn’t be talking about the intervention now.”

Reasons for the intervention of so many foreign powers in Syria vary widely. For Russia, assistance to the Assad government has helped deliver long dreamt of access to a Mediterranean port. For Iran, its costly efforts to ensure the survival of the Syrian regime while seeking to promote a regional anti-Israel axis have been paramount. For the United States and its Coalition allies, a desire to defeat the terrorist group Islamic State has more recently been supplemented by a desire to counter Iranian and Russian plans for Syria. President Erdogan of Turkey has used the chaos of Syria’s wars to impose a buffer zone in northern Syria and disrupt Kurdish efforts to carve out a new state. And Israel, although not involved in the ground conflict, has nevertheless conducted hundreds of airstrikes against both Iranian and Hezbollah forces within Syria in recent years.

With so many foreign powers and their proxy actors fighting within Syria, this chart by analyst Charles Lister from 2016 indicates the sheer complexity of the situation.

This *simple* chart shows all states of hostility currently being played out on #Syria’s territory#IntractableWar pic.twitter.com/1inprNB6U0

— Charles Lister (@Charles_Lister) February 13, 2016

The US-led Coalition and civilian harm

Without the intervention of so many foreign powers in Syria, the recent history of the nation would have looked very different. Starved of Russian and Iranian support, the Assad government would most likely have been overrun by rebel forces. ISIS would also likely have surged, using the vast arsenal of weapons it had captured in Iraq during 2014 to occupy more and more Syrian territory.

So did the international intervention save the Syrian peoples? Or instead has it elongated and exacerbated the conflict, and consequently the suffering of civilians?

Following an earlier military intervention in Syria by Iran in support of the Assad government, six years ago this week the US-led Coalition launched its first airstrikes in Syria on September 23rd 2014, targeting both the so-called Islamic State that now controlled vast swathes of Syria; and also al-Qaeda’s local Syrian faction. Dozens of strikes by US, Saudi, Emirati and Jordanian aircraft that day – as well as Tomahawk missiles fired from US warships – led to the Coalition’s first reported massacre of civilians in Syria in Kafar Dryan. The Coalition still denies civilian casualties in that attack.

According to Airwars data gathered from local sources on the ground since 2014, the long running Coalition campaign against ISIS in Syria has so far likely killed at least 5,658 civilians, a high proportion of whom were women and children. Almost four thousand more civilians have reportedly been injured. The alliance itself presently concedes 671 non combatants killed by its actions.

Hasan Al-Kassab is an activist from Raqqa, who worked in the research unit of the Euphrates Project which funds many reconstruction and body retrieval projects in Raqqa. Hasan told Airwars that he lost two of his uncles during the Coalition’s Raqqa campaign in 2017. One uncle, Abdul Latif Hasan Al-kassab, was taking water from the Euphrates river when a Coalition airstrike targeted the area on June 25th 2017. His uncle was immediately killed along with two other civilians. His other uncle died when another Coalition airstrike targeted a building in Raqqa days before the city was liberated. “There is no mechanism to contact the Coalition who I believe is responsible for the death of my two uncles to investigate their death,” says Hasan today.

Additionally, Hasan told Airwars that the Initial Response Team in Raqqa has so far found 28 mass graves in Raqqa, containing more than 6,000 bodies, with two thirds of them believed to be civilians.

Destruction in Raqqa city in 2017, following the Coalition’s successful campaign to oust ISIS (Picture via Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently)

Zain Al-Abidin Al-A’kedi, an activist from Deir Ezzor living in northern Syria, told Airwars that he believes that the Coalition’s intervention against ISIS in Syria was necessary, but had come too late. “The wasted time led to an increase in the number of deaths and casualties by ISIS and the US-led Coalition airstrikes, in addition to huge damage in the cities and towns,” Zain said.

Firas Hanosh, an activist from Raqqa and a former doctor with Medecins Sans Frontières in one of Raqqa’s field hospitals, also believes that the US-led Coalition intervention in Syria was necessary, because local forces were unable to defeat ISIS. However, he argues that the Coalition’s choice of the mainly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces as its ground proxy was a mistake. “The US-led Coalition didn’t choose the right partner on the ground (SDF) , which is racist against the Arab civilians.” Firas told Airwars that it is unsafe for him to return to his ravaged home city. He says he is also worried about being arrested by the SDF, because of his work as an activist monitoring the situation in Raqqa.

Wary of intervening on the ground in Syria or getting involved in the civil war, the US still needed to combat ISIS. It therefore turned to the Kurds – initially helping the newly formed SDF to drive out ISIS from its own areas. “Without the Coalition’s intervention forces, we would have lost Kobane, Qamishli and other Kurdish areas.” Dlshad, a Syrian cyber security engineer now living in Washington DC ,said. However, as the SDF then advanced against ISIS in primarily Arabic-population territory, tensions rose.

Other Syrians believe the US and its allies had hidden motives. Jala, a Syrian woman now living in London, believes that the US intervention in Syria, though declared to be against ISIS, was in fact aimed at controlling the oil fields of North East Syria. President Trump has done little to dispel this view, and US troops today occupy many of Syria’s oil fields.

Assad’s allies: Russia and Iran in Syria

Even as the US-led Coalition was ramping up its attacks against ISIS in Syria, the regime was losing badly on the ground to rebel forces. Reports estimated that despite Iranian and Hezbollah support, Bashar al-Assad held only 25% of Syria by late 2015. Assad asked for support from his Russian allies – leading to Moscow’s largest foreign intervention since its disastrous Afghanistan campaign of 1979-1989. The outcome in Syria would prove to be very different.

The first Russian airstrikes in Syria took place on September 30th 2015, targeting the towns of Za`faranah, Talbisah and Ar-Rastan in Homs; and Al Makrmeya and Jisr al Shughour in Idlib. From the first day, the effects on civilians were devastating. At least 43 civilians reportedly died in Russia’s initial airstrikes – with more than 150 more injured.

A BBC map from 2015 indicates how little territory the Assad government still held before Russia’s armed intervention.

Accused of indifference to civilian harm from its actions in Syria – and even the deliberate targeting of communities – Moscow has yet to admit to a single civilian death in five years of war. Airwars monitoring has so far recorded 4,487 locally reported problem airstrikes by Russia in partnership with the Assad government from 2015 to 2020 – which between them reportedly led to the deaths of as many as 22,000 non combatants, and the injuring of up to 40,000 more.

“The Russian intervention in Syria is not new,” argues Dlshad, a cyber security engineer now living in Washington DC: “I come from Rmeilan city which is rich with oil, and the Russians have been in the city for a long time.” That said, Dlshad believes the Russian intervention both extended the life of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime – and in some cases curbed his actions. He argues for example that Assad would have been more brutal against his own people without Russian control.

“The Russian military involvement changed the military equation,” argues Abdulkarim Ekzayez, a Research Associate at the Department of War Studies at King’s College, University of London and himself a Syrian: “Large-scale aerial attacks on vital infrastructure such as hospitals, schools and bakeries have weakened the resilience of the targeted communities in opposition held areas. Consequently the regime was able to take control over most of the opposition pockets in central and southern Syria, pushing all opposition factions into the north west with clearly defined contact lines between the two warring parties.”

Mohammed Al Fares, the nom de plume of a humanitarian worker living in Idlib, believes that the Russians have followed a systematic plan to target civilians in Syria – something the US-led Coalition tried to avoid, he says. However, Jala believes that none of the actors in the Syrian conflict cared deeply about civilians, including Syrian fighters on the ground because they focused only on achieving military gains and not on civilians.

The other key ally of the Assad government, Iran, has taken a different approach. Years of sanctions have left it with a poorly equipped air force. Instead Tehran’s efforts in Syria focused on its domestic rocket and drone programmes, in turn channelling them to both Hezbollah and to the Syrian regime.

In addition, Iranian ground forces have played a key role in the fighting. The Quds Brigade is known to be involved at a senior level in the Syrian conflict and even in changing the structure of the Syrian army. The Syrian 4th Brigade is close to Iran for example, while the 5th Brigade has closer links to Russian forces.

Qassem Soleimani, the former head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, pictured near Aleppo’s historic castle after the city’s capture from rebels (Image via Zaman al Wasl)

Unilateral interventions in Syria

With a weak government in Damascus, multiple foreign powers have for years conducted unilateral actions in Syria in support of their own national interests. The United States has long targeted al Qaeda-linked fighters in western Syria for example; while the British conducted a controversial targeted killing of a UK citizen in 2015. Two nations in particular have fought lengthy unilateral campaigns.

Turkey has launched several massive operations in North East Syria, alongside its earlier targeting of ISIS in Idlib. In January 2018, Ankara launched Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, and later Operation Peace Spring in October 2019.

Overall, hundreds of Syrian civilians have been locally reported killed by Turkish actions – both against Kurdish forces, and ISIS-occupied areas such as al Bab.

Syrians interviewed for this article were strongly opposed to Turkey’s interventions. “There was no threat against Turkey. Why did Turkey intervene? Turkey is racist against the Kurds and that’s it,” claimed Dlshad.

H.J, a female architect from Damascus who asked not to be fully named for safety reasons, argued: “Syrians thought that Erdogan was helping the Syrian cause, but he eventually used it as a bargaining chip with Europe; causing destruction and division between Arabs and Kurds, and turning Syrian youth into mercenaries”.

Israel’s own unilateral aerial campaign in Syria has proved devastating against both Iranian and Hezbollah forces. In early 2019, a senior Israeli commander declared that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) had dropped more than 2,000 bombs on Syria during the previous year, while Prime Minister Binyamin Netenyahu said that “the IDF has attacked hundreds of times Iranian and Hezbollah targets.”

Despite the significant scale of Israel’s intervention, international attention has been limited. This may in part be due to the low levels of reported civilian harm from Israeli strikes in Syria compared with other foreign powers. Since 2019, Airwars monitoring indicates that between 13 and 22 civilians were killed and over 40 injured in nine Israeli airstrikes of concern. With its focus in Syria almost exclusively on military targets, Israel appears to have limited the widescale civilian harm seen in the actions of others.

According to Mohammed Al Fares, a Syrian spoken to for this article, “It is good that Israel is destroying the regime’s military installations. However, they are doing it because they don’t want Iran to get an upper hand in Syria, not for the sake of the Syrian people.”

The reverberating effects of foreign intervention

Years of conflict in Syria, combined with external intervention by at least 17 foreign powers, have changed the face of the country for ever. According to the UNHCR, there are 6.2 million people, including 2.5 million children, currently internally displaced within Syria, the largest such population in the world. Beyond Syria’s borders, the total number of registered Syrian refugees has so far reached 5.5 million.

The direct links between external interventions and the displacement of civilians can be challenging to unpack.

In North East Syria for example actions by rebels; by ISIS; and later by Turkish forces, saw more than 215,000 people driven from their homes. While many have returned, an estimated 100,000 remain displaced.

Similarly, Syrian Arab Army operations supported from the air by Russia have proved highly disruptive. During the last major campaign between December 2019 and March 2020 in North West Syria, the UN reported a new displacement of more than 960,000 people, including more than 575,000 children.

Humanitarian worker Mohammed Al Fares, himself an IDP, told Airwars about his own experience. “When you are forced outside your residence, you die slowly. You lose everything, your home, your land, your job and your money. You try to start over and build a new life, but it is difficult.”

A Syrian woman pictured in an IDP camp in north east Syria (Picture courtesy of Refugees International)

The destruction of Syria’s infrastructure over the past nine years has also been extreme – much of it the result of foreign actions. Among the most brutal examples have been Aleppo and Raqqa – the first significantly at the hands of Russian forces; the latter mostly as a result of  the US-led Coalition’s targeting of ISIS. According to ReliefWeb: “About a third of homes in Syria were thought to have been damaged or destroyed by 2017. In 2018, the UN estimated the cost of material destruction in Syria at $120 billion.”

Hasan Al-Kassab told Airwars that eleven bridges in Raqqa were destroyed including Raqqa’s New Bridge during the Coalition’s 2017 campaign, and that civilians are only slowly starting to return because of a lack of basic services. For example, 60% of Raqqa is still without electricity.

East Aleppo, which witnessed brutal bombing by the Assad government supported by its Russian ally, experienced a similar fate. Battles which began in  2012 reached their climax in November 2016, when SAA troops began a decisive campaign that ended a month later with the retaking of the city. This caused very significant damage to Aleppo.

H.J, the architect from Damascus, believes that the destruction in Syria has been systemic and not just ‘collateral damage’ as militaries claim. “The destruction caused by all different actors is called many things, of which: Urbicide/ Identicide. That is, to commit a massacre against the urban environment; to target relationships that connect people and places, erasing their identities. Nowadays, one third of Syria is destroyed, and about 80% of Syria’s Night lights are gone.”

Significant opposition remains from many countries to the reconstruction process in Syria while Bashar al-Assad remains in power. However, the US is implementing small scale rebuilding activities in areas under SDF control, focusing on basic services like water, electricity and rubble removal that don’t reach the level of reconstruction. At the same time, with Russia and Iran unable significantly to support the regime financially as it seeks to rebuild Syria, limited scale investments risk lining the pockets of warlords, profiteers and cronies.

A price worth paying?

Mohammed Al Fares believes that overall, external intervention by so many foreign powers has had a negative impact on the course of the Syrian revolution, and on the general situation in the country. “Syrians had been in a state of solidarity with each other when the revolution started and [they eventually] controlled about 70% of Syria. External intervention including money channelling, divided the Syrians and brought into the decision making people who were not fit to lead. This in turn made the revolution very political until it lost its momentum. However, the revolution continues with its youth, women, elders and children despite all the obstacles it faces”

However others see more subtlety. According to Hasan Al-Kassab from Raqqa: “We can’t put all the interventions in the same basket. The Coalition intervened to eliminate ISIS, Russia intervened to oppress the people and legitimise the regime against the civilians, while Turkey intervened to fight the PKK and secure its borders. However every intervention is still an occupation, because there is no mechanism to give oversight to the people. They built military bases and disturbed the fabric of the Syrian people.”

From her side, H.J, the female architect from Damascus, argues that after the regime started killing civilians in 2012, the Syrian people tolerated even ‘allying with the devil’ to oust Bashar Al-Assad. ‘’I didn’t personally support this opinion, but we needed any offerings, we naively thought that the world would help us without anything in return. We were wrong, and all interventions were bad. The country was divided, and military bases were established.”

With peace still nowhere in sight in Syria – and fighting likely to resume as the Covid pandemic recedes – there is little sign of foreign powers withdrawing any time soon. While their interventions have radically changed conflict dynamics, they have done little to support the Syrian peoples in their aspirations for freedom and justice. Yet if the same kind of resource spent by foreign powers on bombs and missiles could one day be diverted to Syria’s infrastructure development, to education, and to the fostering of civil society, another future remains possible.

▲ Syria's Bashar al-Assad in the cockpit of a Russian Su-35 fighter at Hmeimim air base, Latakia in December 2017 (Image via Syrian regime Facebook page)