In what was widely referred to as a “massacre”, at least 13 civilians were killed and over 30 wounded in an alleged Russian or Syrian regime strike on a marketplace in Ariha on October 20th 2021. Most sources said that as many as four children were killed in the strike that took place in the morning as children were on their way to school.

Muntaha.alramahi on Facebook was alone in posting that 14 children had been killed and 63 other civilians wounded. Esmanur.peker.1 said in a Facebook post that there may well be over 50 civilians injured as a result of the strike; most sources put the injury toll at 30 and the death toll at 13.

A medical source told Zaman al-Wasl that “the number of victims is expected to rise due to the loss of some people, and the suffering of some wounded due to their critical conditions,” stressing that “among the victims are displaced people and school students.”

The incident overwhelmed the local hospital, with health workers issuing a distress call that they needed to urgently transport a number of those wounded to alternate locations due to the severity of their injures, according to local media network Al Arabiya Syria.

The strikes were reported by Syria Network for Human Rights as having hit al Hal Market and the area near two educational facilities – Banat Ariha School and Abdul Hamid Ghnaimi School.

ِAriha Today posted a list of 10 the names of the civilians killed: Qamar Bilal Hafez, Zakaria Ahmed Bazzi, Youssef Muhammad Jamal Al-Hassan, Rimas – daughter of Youssef Al-Hassan – a child, Islam Khaled Al Saraqi – a child, Hassoun Ihsan Al-Khadija Maarrat Al-Numan, Ibrahim Abdul-Wahhab Al-Amin – a child, Omar Abdel-Aal Al-Aboud – a child, Mahmoud Yasser Sareh, Ghassan Sheikh Ibrahim.

Syrian Network for Human Rights reported on October 22nd that Islam al Saraqebi, a child injured on his way to school, died of his wounds.

Several of those killed were relatives of the Syrian Civil Defense ‘White Helmet’ first responders; teacher Qamar Bilal Hafez was the sister of volunteer Basil Hafez, while Ibrahim Al-Amin was the brother of first responder Muhammad Al-Amin. Syrian Civil Defense posted that their volunteers “always fear” that their relatives will be amongst those they are tasked with saving.

Amongst the victims was Youssef Al Hassan, reported killed alongside his young daughter, Rimas Al Hassan. Syrian Civil Defense published comments from a volunteer, ‘Mona’ who attempted to save Rimas, and carried her body to the hospital: “It is very difficult and painful to carry the body of a child whose fault is that she is going to her school. The whole world must feel our pain”.

Ariha Today reported that twin brothers Omar and Ali were traveling to school when the bombing occurred. Omar was killed in the strikes while Ali was wounded and was still being treated for his wounds as of October 22nd. Another victim, Zahra, a five year old girl, “was injured while she was with her father and cousin in the city market”. An image of her posted by Ariha Today shows her crying and covered in blood and wounds from the attack.

Videos circulated of the incident show a whole street of shops almost completely destroyed, while several sources posted graphic images of children lying dead and wounded in the marketplace. Syria Post circulated a video from a security camera in a shop that captured the moment the strike hit the street, likely severely wounding or killing the people inside.

Twitter user @sebusher quoted a civilian who was near the market when it was hit: “When we arrived at the school and the students were there, the shelling and airstrikes started. The students were horrified, they started screaming, we didn’t know what to do.”

ArabiPost reported: “In the hospital where the victims were taken, a person was screaming and crying next to the corpse of a 10-year-old girl,” according to Agence France-Presse. Bilal Tracy, the father of two children who live near the targeted area, told the French agency, “At eight in the morning we woke up to bombardment that was raining down on us. The children were terrified and started screaming. We didn’t know what to do, where to go, and we didn’t see anything because of the dust around us.” Tracy added, “They bombed us in the neighborhood and in the market, there are children who died and people who lost limbs. We don’t know why, what is the fault we have done?””

Facebook user, Al.amen2011, described the atmosphere in the city after the strike: “Night falls on her today, and her moan is almost heard by every human being on the surface of this planet. Joy died today in Ariha, and hundreds of details and stories died today in it.”

The Syria Network for Human Rights appealed to the international community for action following this event: “Through this action, Syrian regime forces have, without doubt, committed another violation of Security Council resolutions 2139 and 2254 which prohibit any further indiscriminate attacks, as well as violating the rules of international humanitarian law which stress the distinction between civilians and combatants. Attacks of this nature spread terror and panic among civilians, leading them to flee their lands and homes in an attempt to reach safety, and forcibly displacing them, with the number of internally displaced persons within Syria currently standing at approximately 6.5 million Syrian citizens in total. The international community should put pressure on the Syrian regime and its allies to force them to compensate the displaced victims, rehabilitate homes and vital centers, support the process of political transition, and press all parties to pursue implementation of political transition according to a strict timetable which must not exceed six months, thus enabling millions of refugees and IDPs to return homes.”

UNICEF also referenced in the incident, reiterating the toll that the conflict is having on children throughout Syria: “Today’s violence is yet another reminder that the war in Syria has not come to an end. Civilians, among them many children, keep bearing the brunt of a brutal decade-long conflict. Attacks on civilians may be a violation of international humanitarian law. Attacks must not be directed against children. Children should be able to reach their schools safely. We repeat our calls to those fighting that children are not a target. They should be protected at all times especially in times of conflict.”

Most sources blamed Russian and/or Syrian regime forces for the strike, while a few sources also pointed to Iranian-backed militias.

The incident occured at 8:00 am local time.

On 19th October 2021, one person was reportedly killed and several others were injured when a Russian or Syrian regime forces’ attacked Qaqafin, in the “de-escalation zone”, in southern countryside of Idlib, Syria. Multiple sources indicated that the attack was artillery shelling, using “several laser-guided Krasnopol missiles.” There were reports that the number of civilians injured was four to five.

Aaswat News mentioned that the person killed in the attack was “a member of the armed Syrian opposition” and Zaitun Agency also reported that the deceased was “a fighter in the revolutionary faction.”

7al News reported that a military source from the Syrian National Army, also known as the Free Syria Army, who did not want to be named, said that “a member of the National Army was killed and five others were wounded after government forces targeting their headquarters in the village of Qoqafin with Russian made Krasnopol missiles, sources from Syrian army sites.”

A local source on Twitter, @Blal_Haj_Ahmed reported that “Assad’s gangs stationed at the surrounding checkpoints target with Russian “Krasnopol” missiles the vicinity of the villlage of Qaqafin in the southern countryside in Idlib, in conjunction with the flight and rotation of reconniassance aircraft in the area.”

Zaman Al Wasl News reported that this attack was linked to “regime forces and militias linked to Russia stationed in the “Jorin” camp.” It continued that, “Russian warplanes also launched three air strikes using high-explosive missiles, targeting the southwestern outskirts of the town of “Al-Bara”, the southern gateway to Jabal Al-Zawiya, without causing any casualties” although the attacks, which also used Krasnopol missiles, “caused widespread destruction in agricultural lands and civilian properties.” Xber News reported that the attacks in Al-Bara were in the vicinity of “the Turkish point” and “targeting the Turkish regime’s army” which was in the area that morning.

Xber News also noted that the Idlib governorate and the countryside of Aleppo and Hama are “witnessing a major military escalation by Russia and the Syrian regime.”

Baladi News reported that the Civil Defense teams worked to rescue and transfer the injured to the nearest medical centre.

The incident was first reported on October 19, 2021 at 12:16 am by @SRoudinah2.

Ten civilians were injured in the second incident of a ‘double-tap’ strike on the Sarmada, reportedly carried out by Russian or Syrian regime forces, on October 16th 2021. The strike represents a significant escalation of violence observed in the past month.

Details of the first incident are archived under incident R4402 on the Airwars site.

Syria Civil Defense described the incident: “Less than an hour after the first targeting, the regime forces and Russia bombed the area again, resulting in the injury of 10 civilians, and the outbreak of large fires in industrial facilities in the area”.

The first incident was reported to have killed at least four civilians, including the chief of police, and injuring at least 13 others – with some reported to be in critical conditions.

The incident occured during the day.

At least four people were killed and up to 23 others wounded in the first of two Syrian or Russian artillery or airstrikes in one of the most populated cities in Idlib, Sarmada, on October 16th 2021. One of those killed was reported to be police chief Saad Eddin Berri; sources said it was likely that another three policeman were also killed.

The Syria Observatory for Human Rights said that they expected the death toll to rise given the severity of the injuries sustained by some of those wounded in the incident.

Syrian Civil Defense (SCD) teams noted that this is the latest in a significant escalation of airstrikes on the region, which is leading to “a humanitarian catastrophe that may be the worst since 2011, threatening the lives of more than 4 million civilians”. SCD also pointed to rising COVID-19 infections in the region, which is only expected to get worse with the approach of winter.

Shaam news reported that a number of key humanitarian warehouses and offices were in the area where the strikes were carried out on the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey – the border used primarily by humanitarian actors bringing essential supplies into Syria.

A relative of Mr. Berri, the police chief killed in the incident, posted on Facebook:

“In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful

“Oh, the reassured soul * return to your Lord, contented with contentment * so enter into my servants * and enter me”

With tearful eyes and humble hearts satisfied with God’s decree and destiny, we received the news of the death of our cousin Saad Eddin Ibrahim Berri from the town of Kafr Daryan following the bombing of the city of Sarmada by Assad’s gangs.”

Orient news reported: “The Civil Defense explained that artillery shelling by the Assad militia and the Russian occupation affected vital and service facilities today and the road between Bab al-Hawa and Sarmada in Idlib countryside, adding that the rescue teams retrieved the bodies of the dead and treated the injured, and put out the fire in light of the continued bombing of the area”.

Syrian Civil Defense teams were reported to have immediately attended the bombing site, with Baladi news correspondent noting: “the civil defense and ambulance teams went to the bombing sites immediately, and worked to open the roads, remove the rubble, retrieve the bodies of the martyrs, and transfer the injured to hospitals and medical points near the area.”

Sources also noted that the attack on Sarmada is in violation of ceasefire agreements, with Shaam news network pointing to the strategic significance of the strikes allegedly observed by Idlib rebel factions to have resulted from Russian operations: “with the aim of sending a clear message to Turkey, which threatens to launch a military operation against the separatist militia “SDF”, which is a repetition of the Russian strikes”.

Shaam noted that the same area was targeted last March, and was “carried out with advanced Russian “Krasnapol” missiles, in parallel with the flight of Russian aircraft of the “Orlan 30″ type over the Sarmada region, which identified the targets and directed artillery to target them”. Several other sources also commented than the laser-guided Krasnapol missiles were used in the incident.

Most sources blamed either Syrian regime or Russian forces for the strike, while two also blamed Iranian backed militias. The Syria Network for Human Rights said: “The primary parties suspected of responsibility for the attack being Russian and Syrian regime forces, since the shelling emanated from an area controlled by them. The investigation process is still underway to specifically identify the party responsible for the bombing”.

The incident occured during the day.