Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Belligerent
Country
start date
end date
Civilian Harm Status
Belligerent Assessment
Declassified Documents
Infrastructure
text search
11046 Results
sort by:
Sort by:
Incident date
Civilian deaths alleged
Civilian deaths confirmed by belligerent

Incident Code

RS3685

Incident date

May 8, 2019

Location

حيش, Heesh, Hama, Syria

Airwars assessment

Up to three civilians, including a child, were killed in alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on the village of Heesh on May 8th, 2019, according to local sources. Four others were reportedly injured.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights reported that three civilians, including a woman, man and the girl Hanaa Jawhar al Saeed, were killed as Syrian regime force helicopters dropped barrel bombs on Heesh village in Idlib. Shaam News Network reported two killed civilians.

Smart News blamed Russia and reported that Russian warplanes launched a rocket-propelled grenade in addition to the helicopters that dropped explosive barrels. @Step_Agency also blamed Russian airstrikes for the civilian casualties.

The White Helmets reported: “Two men and a girl were killed and two children and two women were injured today [May 8th] in the town of Heesh as a result of the continuous targeting of civilian homes by the regime.”

According to SyriaTV, two civilians were killed and one woman and three children were injured following an aerial bombardment of the town with four cluster rockets. Helicopters also dropped four explosive barrels.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Hanaa Jawhar al Saeed هناء جوهر السعيد
Child female from the city of Halavia killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 3
  • (1 child1 woman1 man)
  • 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 attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military
  • Suspected target
    Unknown

Sources (26) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (7) [ collapse]

  • Syrian Civil Defense forces at the scene after an alleged Syrian helicopter dropped barrel bombs on Heesh village in Idlib on May 8th (via Syrian Network for Human Rights).
  • Hanaa Jawhar al Saeed was killed as alleged Syrian regime forces helicopters dropped barrel bombs on Heesh village in Idlib on May 8th (via Syrian Network for Human Rights).

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Hanaa Jawhar al Saeed was killed as alleged Syrian regime forces helicopters dropped barrel bombs on Heesh village in Idlib on May 8th (via Syrian Network for Human Rights).

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Translation: “Hana Jawhar Al Saeed. A small girl from the city of Halavia. Today she was lost because of the bombing of the town of Heesh in rural Idlib. Few moments ago they found her dead because of the bombing on Heesh. And she became with her father in paradise away from the deplorable and unjust world” (via @Tamer_Turkmane).

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Hana Jawhar Al Saeed was killed in alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on Heesh, May 8th (via @Tamer_Turkmane).
  • Airstrikes on Heesh, May 8th (via @Generallion).
  • Aftermath of alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on Heesh, May 8th (via Baladi News).

Syrian Regime Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Syrian Regime
  • Syrian Regime position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 3
  • (1 child1 woman1 man)
  • 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 attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military
  • Suspected target
    Unknown

Sources (26) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TS031

Incident date

December 25, 2016

Location

الباب, Al Bab, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.371972, 37.51631 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Between two and three civilians were reportedly killed in alleged Turkish airstrikes on Al Bab, Syria.

Al-Bab Al-Hadath wrote on Facebook: “A woman died last night due to Turkish warplanes shelling in Al-Bab.” Halab News, however, named two dead calling them both adult males. Aleppo AMC only reported artillery shelling but no victims.

The Syrian Observatory mentioned airstrikes and artillery shelling, and only reported “injuries”.

The incident occured during the night.

The victims were named as:

Ayman Mohammed Latuf Al-Najjar
Adult male killed
Mohammed Karman
Adult male killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 3
  • (1 woman2 men)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • URGENT: Turkish artillery bombardment targets Bab al-Bab north of Aleppo. 25th December 2016. (via Aleppo AMC)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the city of Al Bab (الباب), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.371972, 37.51631. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Turkish Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Turkish Military
  • Turkish Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 3
  • (1 woman2 men)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS233

Incident date

December 6, 2015

Location

دوما, Douma, Damascus, Syria

Geolocation

33.5714804, 36.4033699 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Three non-combatants including one child were reported killed and several injured in an airstrike on Douma – though reports were conflicted as to whether the attack was the work of Russia or the Assad regime.

According to Al Jazeera Russia was responsible for the raid. But the Syrian Network blamed the regime, naming one child, Ibrahim Hadid, who “died in regime artillery mortar shell fired on Duma city in Rif Dimashq governorate, December 6.”

Additionally, All4Syria reported that air strikes on the city of Zamalka in the Ghouta Zamalka area of eastern Damascus (see entry below) coincided “with artillery shelling on the city of Douma in the eastern Ghouta, causing the deaths of three civilians, including a child and wounded several others have been their ministry to medical points,” suggesting again that the regime was responsible.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Ibrahim Hadid
Child male killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (1 child)
  • 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 attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (6) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    A member of the White Helmets holds the body of a child following an alleged Russian airstrike on Douma, 6th Dec (via, SNN)

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

Russian Military
Official source

Russia has published no known record of its strikes in Syria between December 4th-8th.

Syrian Regime Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Syrian Regime
  • Syrian Regime position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (1 child)
  • 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 attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (6) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS298

Incident date

December 22, 2015

Location

كفر داعل, Kafr Da'el, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.216015, 37.021403 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Three civilians including two children were killed and several other children injured in an alleged Russian or Assad regime airstrike which hit an elementary school in Kafr Da’el in the countryside west of Aleppo.

According to the Shaam News Network which blamed Russia, local activists said those killed were a teacher (or possibly school superintendent) and two students, while the injured were taken to medical points for treatment. The VDC, Baladi News, Halab News, Al Buraq and TurkArab also blamed Russia.

Smart News instead said the deaths occurred “after Regime warplanes threw explosive barrels on the town of Kafr Dael.” Jisr TV agreed that the regime was responsible.

 

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Hussein Haso
Age unknown named by Al Buraq killed

Summary

  • Civilian infrastructure
    School
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (2 children)
  • 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 attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (9) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (4) [ collapse]

  • Al Jisir news bulletin reporting on the contested airstrikes. (via, Al Jisir)

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    An image of a deceased child, possibly one of the students, (via, Baladi News)
  • The aftermath of the event. (via, Baladi News)
  • Part of the inside of the school which was targeted during the attack on 22nd December 2015. (via, Al Burqa Media)

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

Russian Military
Official source

For December 18th-23rd 2016, Russia reported that “In the course of five days, on December 18-23, aircraft of the Aerospace Forces in the Syrian Arab Republic have performed 302 combat sorties engaging 1093 objects in the Aleppo, Idlib, Latakia, Homs and Deir ez-Zor provinces… In Aleppo province, a Su-34 bomber made a strike on a command centre of one of the Ahrar ash-Sham illegal armed groups uncovered by UAVs. Direct hit on the building occupied by terrorists completely destroyed the facility.”

Syrian Regime Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Syrian Regime
  • Syrian Regime position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian infrastructure
    School
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (2 children)
  • 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 attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (9) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS458

Incident date

January 24, 2016

Location

تل رفعت, Tall Rif`at, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.472576, 37.096272 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Four civilians died and 12 were injured in alleged Russian airstrike on Tel Rifa’at, according local sources.

The Syrian Press Centre reported that Russia carried out four raids and that a young man was killed in addition to a number of other civilians being wounded.

The Violations Documentation Centre also alleged that this was a Russian raid.

According to Al Souria, three non-combatants died and 12 others were injured when “Russian fighter jets targeted residential localities in Tel Rifa’at“.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights briefly reported that “a young man was killed and others were wounded when warplanes carried out raids on areas in the town of Tall Rifaat,” but they did not say whether the planes were Russian or belonged to the Assad regime.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Omar Taleb al-Sakran
Adult male killed
Nesreen Ali al-Tayar
35 years old female was listed once as a child however this was a mistake killed
Qusai Mahmoud Hamdawi "Haj Dibo"
Child male killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (1 child1 woman1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    12
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (11) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • Qusai Mahmoud Hamdawi "Haj Dibo", killed in an alleged Russian raid on 24th January 2016. (via, VDC)

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    An injured civilian struggles to stay alive following an alleged Russian raid on Tall Rif'at. (via, Tall Refaat City)

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

Russian Military
Official source

In its military report published on 25th January, the Kremlin said: “In the course of the last three days, January 22-24, aircraft of the Russian aviation group in the Syrian Arab Republic performed 169 combat sorties engaging 484 objects of terrorists’ infrastructure…crews of Tu-22M3 long-range bombers performed 18 combat sorties from the territory of the Russian Federation in order to engage manpower and hardware of the ISIS near Deir ez-Zor on January 22-24. Flight range reached more than 2,000 kilometers.“

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (1 child1 woman1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    12
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (11) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS2572

Incident date

September 30, 2017

Location

الصالحية, Al-Salhiya, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Geolocation

34.7146658, 40.7555866 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Local media reported that three people were reportedly killed, including a child, in airstrikes on the village of Al Salhia, which lays at the entrance of Deir Ezzor. The airstrikes were blamed on Russian warplanes.

There are no other details at this time.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Yazen Muhammad Fawaz al-Hamdah
Child male killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (1 child)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (9) [ collapse]

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (1 child)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (9) [ collapse]

Incident Code

CS1771

Incident date

June 13, 2018

Location

السوسة, Al Soussa, Deir ez-Zor, Syria

Geolocation

34.528889, 40.9675 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

One or more civilians were reported killed and injured after artillery shelling on the village of al Soussa.

Sound and Picture reported the “martyrdom of a civilian” in the village of Soussa as a result of French artillery shelling. Shaam News only made mention of “a number of civilians” wounded and stated that this was instead a result of shelling by “the Assad forces”.

In a tweet, Deir Ezzor 24 also reported artillery shelling by Assad forces on al Soussa, but did not mention any civilian casualties.

It is important to note that reports of Assad forces shelling Al Soussa could also be referring to June 12th. Suliman Mansoor mentioned for example “Syrian army artillery” on the village a day before the civilian harm incident was reported.

Euphrates Post reported a number of civilians killed, including children, as a result of artillery shelling but failed to identify any culprit.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights made mention of both “shelling by Syrian forces” and “bombing of aircraft likely to belong to the International Alliance” and confirmed the death of “two people believed to be members of the organization [ISIS]”. Two days later Al Jisrt TV reported that “bombardment and artillery on the same area resulted in a number of dead and wounded, including refugees.”

In September 2019 the Coalition announced that it had classed this allegation of civilian harm as non-credible. Their monthly civilian casualty report noted, “After a review of all available records it was determined that, more likely than not, civilian casualties did not occur as a result of a Coalition action.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 3
  • (1–2 children)
  • Civilians reported injured
    0–2
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, US-led Coalition

Sources (9) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Soussah (السوسة), for which the coordinates are: 34.528889, 40.9675

Syrian Regime Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Syrian Regime
  • Syrian Regime position on incident
    Not yet assessed

US-led Coalition Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition
  • US-led Coalition position on incident
    Non credible / Unsubstantiated
    Insufficient information to assess that, more likely than not, a Coalition strike resulted in civilian casualties.
  • Reason for non-credible assessment
    Other
  • Stated location
    in Al Soussa, Syria
    Nearest population center
  • Location accuracy
    100 m
  • MGRS coordinate
    37SFU806226
    Military Grid Reference System

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Sep 26, 2019

  • June 13, 2018, in Al Soussa, Syria, via Airwars report. After a review of all available records it was determined that, more likely than not, civilian casualties did not occur as a result of a Coalition action.

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition
Official source

For June 13th, the Coalition reported that “On June 13 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted seven strikes consisting of seven engagements against Daesh targets. Near Abu Kamal, four strikes destroyed two Daesh vehicles, one Daesh supply route and damaged one Daesh vehicle.”

French Military
  • English
    /
    Original
Official source

For June 13th – 19th, France’s Task Force Wagram reports five shooting missions in the Euphrates Valley. Since the launch of the offensive on May 1st there have been 148 missions. Over the past week, There were 22 air sorties in support of the local forces on the ground, but no strikes.

‘CHAMMAL SITUATION MILITAIRE DU THÉÂTRE Offensive contre les dernières poches de Daech en Syrie En Syrie, l’offensive contre les dernières emprises territoriales de Daech se poursuit. Menée par les forces démocratiques syriennes, coordonnée avec les forces de sécurité irakiennes et appuyée par la coalition, l’offensive a déjà permis de reprendre plus de 150 km2 de territoire à Daech. Actuellement, les opérations en cours se concentrent sur la libération de la ville Dashisha. La résistance opposée par Daech demeure relativement faible. La principale menace reste celle liée aux engins explosifs improvisés. Poursuite des actions de sécurisation en Irak En Irak, les opérations de sécurisation se poursuivent à un rythme soutenu, donnant lieu à des destructions régulières de caches, de munitions et d’engins explosifs improvisés. Un climat sécuritaire qui s’améliore en Irak Le bon déroulement de l’ensemble des manifestations d’envergure récentes, notamment plusieurs pèlerinages et fêtes régionales ainsi que les élections, tend à montrer une amélioration notable du climat sécuritaire en Irak. ACTIVITÉ DE LA FORCE Formation au profit des forces de sécurité irakiennes La Task Force Narvik a débuté cette semaine cinq nouveaux stages au profit de l’Iraki Counter Terrorism Service (ICTS). Ils couvrent les domaines de formation suivants : la lutte contre les engins explosifs, le maniement et entretien d’armements lourds, le déplacement tactique en convoi, le secourisme au combat et le tir de précision. La Task Force Wagram en appui de l’offensive contre les dernières poches de Daech présentes dans la vallée de l’Euphrate Les artilleurs de la Task Force Wagram demeurent engagés en appui de l’offensive contre les dernières poches de Daech dans la vallée de l’Euphrate. Le nombre de canons de la Task Force a été ajusté, passant dans un souci d’ajustement des moyens au besoin opérationnel de quatre à trois canons. L’évolution de la situation du théâtre avec la reprise de plus de 98% de l’emprise territoriale initiale de Daech, couplée à l’autonomie croissante des forces de sécurité irakienne, permet cet ajustement. Depuis le lancement de l’offensive le 1er mai, la Task Force Wagram a réalisé 148 missions de tirs, dont 5 sur la semaine écoulée (bilan du 13 au 19 juin inclus). Depuis le début de son engagement, la Task Force Wagram a réalisé 1807 missions de tirs. Les bases aériennes en Jordanie et aux EAU en appui des opérations Sur la semaine écoulée, les aéronefs de l’opération Chammal ont réalisé 22 sorties aériennes en appui des forces locales engagées au sol (bilan du 13 au 19 juin inclus). Aucune frappe n’a été réalisée. Bilan total de l’action du pilier appui aérien depuis le 19/09/14 : 8159 sorties / 1450 frappes / 2241 objectifs neutralisés.’

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 3
  • (1–2 children)
  • Civilians reported injured
    0–2
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, US-led Coalition

Sources (9) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS3208

Incident date

March 8, 2018

Location

منطقة الفروع, Al Foru’ area, Homs, Syria

Geolocation

34.047222, 38.000278 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Three civilians were killed and members of the Bani Khaled tribe were injured in airstrikes on the Al Foru’ area. Sources blamed Russian raids for the civilian casualties.

7al reported that “the area of ​​the Al Foru’ Badia Al Alyania has been subjected to more than five Russian raids. All the residents of the region are from the tribe of Bani Khalid, located in the Palmyra desert, northwest of the crossing of Talef on the Iraqi border.”

According to the Smart News Agency, “A number of civilians were killed and injured on Thursday [March 8th] in a bombardment by the Russian air force on the Al Alyania strip (60 km south of Palmyra) in the eastern Homs countryside in central Syria. Militants said the warplanes believed to be Russian launched raids on the Al Foru’ area, killing three civilians and injuring others from the Bani Khaled tribe, without giving further details.”

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • 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 attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (6) [ collapse]

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • 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 attacker
    Russian Military

Sources (6) [ collapse]