Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

R4321

Incident date

June 19, 2021

Location

بزابور, Bzabor, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

Between four and eight civilians, including at least one woman and two children, were injured in alleged Russian or regime strikes on the village of Bzabor in the southern countryside of Idlib on June 18, 2021

Activists from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on the “injury of six civilians, including a woman and two children, due to the regime rocket attacks on Bazabour village”. However, @Step_Agency tweeted that “4 civilians, most of them children, were injured.”

Higher counts were given by @Nabel_othman023, who reported that “the number of injuries in the village of #Bzabur has reached 7, from one family, including a woman and two girls” and @AmerBakri89 wrote that the shelling “seriously wounding 8 civilians”. Enab Baladi News identified “two women and two girls” as being injured in the incident.

@IdlibPlus identified that all of the civilians that were injured were members of the same family. Macro Media Center reported on one of the victims, Zaki Asi, who “is seventy years old. His only sin is that he returned from displacement to his home in the village of Bazabur to harvest his crops from the mahlab, so that the Assad regime’s shells were waiting for him and his wife, son and wife and their sons”.

Macro Media Center published a video showing the White Helmets rescuing members of the family, pointing out that “the Syrian Civil Defense team survived a shell that fell meters away from the ambulance”.

Syrian Civil Defense pointed out that the shelling “almost completely destroying the structure of the house” and quoted Syrian Network for Human Rights as stating that “the targeted area is a civilian one and free of any military presence or equipment.”

Sources were conflicted as to who was responsible for the strikes. Zaiton Magazine reported that “regime forces bombed the town of Bazabour in Jabal Al-Arbaeen, south of Idlib, with more than 6 artillery shells this morning”. However, @voicenorth1 attributed the strikes to Russia.

The incident occured in the morning.

The victims were named as:

Family members (1)

Zaki Asi
70 years old male injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    4–8
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected belligerents
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (32) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (13) [ collapse]

  • Image of Zaki Asi, who was injured in airstrikes on his home in Bazabour on June 18, 2021. " he returned from displacement to his home in the village of Bazabur to harvest his crops from the mahlab, so that the Assad regime's shells were waiting for him and his wife, son and wife and their sons". (Image posted by Macro Media Center)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    #watch | Rescuing an entire family whose members were injured today by artillery shelling by the regime forces on the village of #Bzabur, south of #Idlib in #Syria Source: Syrian Civil Defense - Twitter
  • A cloud rises over the village of Bazabour following artillery strikes on June 18, 2021. (Image posted by @anasanas84)
  • Images of White Helmets rescuing civilians from the rubble of a home following strikes on the town of Bazabour in Idlib on June 18, 2021. (Images posted by @Nabel_othman023)
  • Images of White Helmets rescuing civilians from the rubble of a home following strikes on the town of Bazabour in Idlib on June 18, 2021. (Images posted by @Nabel_othman023)
  • Civilians were wounded in shelling by the regime forces on the town of Bazabour in Idlib countrysideريف Reporting: Ahmed Amin
  • Today: A man, a woman and two children were injured in #Zabur "family" Yesterday: Two martyrs and a number of injuries in #Bedita The villages and towns of Jabal Al-Zawiya, Jabal Al-Arbaeen, and Al-Ghab Plain continue to be targeted with missiles believed to be laser-guided
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • Images of one of the White Helmets carrying a stretcher to rescue civilians from the rubble of a home following strikes on the town of Bazabour in Idlib on June 18, 2021. (Images posted by @syria55s)
  • Images of White Helmets rescuing civilians from the rubble of a home following strikes on the town of Bazabour in Idlib on June 18, 2021. (Images posted by @syria55s)
  • Images of White Helmets rescuing civilians from the rubble of a home following strikes on the town of Bazabour in Idlib on June 18, 2021. (Images posted by @AmerBakri89)
  • Recovered by the Syrian Civil Defense following strikes on the town of Bazabour in Idlib on June 18, 2021. (Images posted by Syrian Civil Defense via Facebook)

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Syrian Regime Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    4–8
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected belligerents
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (32) [ collapse]