As many as 37 civilians were killed, and between 12 and 50 were wounded, following an airstrike on Salqeen – according to local sources. Up to 17 children and five women were allegedly killed in this raid on the residential neighbourhood. According to Euphrates Post, “four of them a family from eastern Deir Ezzor”. The number of dead was reportedly likely to rise due to the severity of some of the wounded.
Sources were conflicted as to who was to blame. Many blamed Russia for the strikes, and others blamed the Syrian regime, however Qasioun News blamed the International Coalition for the raid; they were the only source to attribute blame to the Coalition.
Multiple sources such as Orient News, reported that warplanes “targeted a school, mosque and a popular market in the city of Salqeen”. The Syrian Network for Human Rights named al Rawda Mosque. Unayyapress amongst others, reported that residential buildings were also struck, trapping many civilians under the rubble. They added that more than one missile “targeted” the area “which led to the collapse of parts of buildings over the heads of its inhabitants”. Syria News Desk additionally reported that a clock tower was also caught in the raid and partially destroyed.
The wounded were allegedly taken to medical facilities in other parts of Idlib.
Multiple sources, including the Step News Agency, reported that vacuum missiles were responsible for the destruction on the vicinity.
In their June 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.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
14 years old
female
killed
