(Previous Incident Code: S267)

There were reports that the Coalition or possibly Russia destroyed the Khan Tuman bridge south of Aleppo city in a night time raid. Casualties were reported among civilians, which one source said amounted to ‘dozens.’

Al Jazeera cited armed opposition sources as saying that “international Coalition aircraft destroyed the vital Khan Tuman bridge, causing deaths and injuries – including among those displaced from inside Aleppo to the southern countryside.”

Orient News cited a local activist as saying: “The fact is that the bridge does not pose any importance, not military significance for the rebels or even fighters who can cross from other points. It is only important for humanitarian vehicles, civilian cars and ambulances.”

The Coalition was blamed in part because of the precision nature of the attack. As Radio Hara noted, “our correspondent confirmed that the Russians repeatedly tried to destroy the bridge in dozens of raids, but those attempts failed.” Only Orient News said that Russia itself was responsible for the August 17th strike.

In their May 2020 civilian casualty report, the US-led Coalition assessed reports that they were responsible for civilian harm in this strike as “non-credible”, stating that no Coalition actions were conducted in the geographical area at that time.