Airwars assessment
According to local sources, between three and seven civilians, including one women and her two children, were reported killed, and up to 28 others including four children and four women were reported injured allegedly when Russian or Syrian regime warplanes targeted the Central Prison, in western Idlib in Syria on December 2nd 2019.
A local source on Twitter, @Ahmad_1alshble, reported that the “final outcome” of the raid was the death of six people, “after the civil defense teams finished their work in the area” and they identified these people as: Samar Faisal Daad, Salem Silo’s child, Hanan Silo’s baby girl, Ahmed Said Silo, and two unknown young men. The mother was also reported to have been killed in the same strike along with her two children. Other sources said that those killed were all relatives of inmates in the prison, for example that the mother “was visiting her detained husband in the Central Prison.”
Zaman Al Wasl indicated that the mother and her two children were from the village of “Khirbet Mradin” in the west of Idlib.
According to Enabbaladi News, in a statement by the Ministry of Interior of the “Salvation Government” on December 3rd, it said that “nine raids were carried out by three planes.” The other sources mentioned that the prison was targeted with ten airstrikes at least – some reports put this number at 12 – and that some prisoners escaped from the prison that is believed to hold 2000 prisoners.
Human Rights Watch mentioned this incident in their October 2020 report saying “On December 2, 2019, at about 4 p.m., a strike hit the four-story building of the main functioning prison in the Idlib city area, between three and five kilometers to the west of the city, which was then holding at least 2,000 prisoners. About 200 staff were on duty. An Idlib-based lawyer who was visiting the prison at the time of the attack said: I was on the first floor in the prosecutor’s office, representing a client, when there was suddenly smoke everywhere and the smell of gunpowder. I ran out of the building and saw what looked like 30 prisoners escaping. I also saw a dead woman lying on the floor with her two dead children as I ran outside. They had been visiting her husband in prison. There was no information on injuries to prisoners or staff.”
Other sources do indicate that among the injured were prisoners and Zaiton Agency reported that as of December 2nd, “civil police are searching” for those that escaped when the raid happened.
This is not the first time that Central Prison has been targeted, Zaiton Agency reported that this happened before, in mid-March 2019 which led to the death and injury of dozens of prisoners.
The incident occured at approximately 4:00 pm local time.
The victims were named as:
Family members (3)
Family members (1)
Summary
Sources (35) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (10) [ collapse]
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@AlhasanMahar posted a photo on Twitter of a jet which allegedly attacked the Central Prison on December 2nd 2019.
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One of the two children killed allegedly by Russian or Syrian regime forces during a raid on Central Prison on December 2nd (Image via @Sharif199629 on Twitter) -
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Two children killed allegedly by Russian or Syrian regime forces during a raid on Central Prison on December 2nd 2019. (Image via @Sharif199629/ Twitter) -
A photo of the raid on Central Prison allegedly by Russian or Syrian regime forces on December 2nd 2019. (Image via @Hani_Alymani / Twitter).
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Images of the victims from the reported Russian or Syrian regime raid on Central Prison on December 2nd 2019 (Image via Orient news) -
Image of the raid on Central Prison on December 2nd 2019 (Image via Orient)
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Image of the alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrike on Central Prison on December 2nd 2019 (Image via Orient)
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Image of Central Prison, allegedly targeted by Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes (Image via Arabia21)