Airwars assessment
At least five civilians, including three children and their mother in addition to another child, were killed and two to four other civilians, including a child, were injured in alleged Russian or regime strikes on Balshoun on August 19, 2021.
Syrian Civil Defense reported on “the killing of three children, their mother and another child, and the injury of a child and a young man, in a massacre committed by the regime forces and Russia”. Al Modon, along with the majority of other sources, also published that five civilians were killed and added that an additional four civilians were injured in the attack.
@IdlibPlus put the number of victims at three civilians killed and four wounded but added that this was only a preliminary result. They later revised their reporting and increased the toll to five civilians killed, including a woman and four children.
@freeehsem identified the name of one of the children: Mustafa Muhammad Ajaj, who was killed alongside his mother and his two brothers.
A post by Omar Mhmad provided names of more of the victims: Mohamed Ajaj’s wife, Child Murad Muhammad Ajaj, Child Ahmed Mohamed Ajaj, and Child Hamza Khaled Habib. Murad and Ahmed were siblings of Mustafa and Mohamed Ajaj’s wife was also their mother.
A post by Abd Al Kareem identified Hamza as being 8 years old. Orient News reported that Hamza was being raised by Mohamed Ajaj and his wife after his father, Mohamed’s brother, was killed in a previous bombing.
SCD also posted an emotional video of a father saying goodbye to his children, who were killed in the strikes.
According to the SCD, the rescue teams had difficulty reaching the locations that were bombed to help the victims because the regime continues to bomb roads and had reconnaissance planes flying over the area monitoring movement. Radio Al Kul added that it took the White Helmets two hours to rescue all of the victims from the location, all while Russian reconnaissance planes flew overhead.
Syrian Network for Human Rights identified five shells as being used on the attack, with one shell hitting a house in the west of the village and killing four civilians from the same family (three children and their mother) and damaging the house’s structure while another shell hit another house, also in the west of the village, killing a child.
The majority of sources that reported on the incident attributed the strikes to the Syrian regime, with Radio Al Kul identifying regime forces stationed in the vicinity of the city of Kafranbel as being responsible. However, @anasanas84 and Syrian Network for Human Rights blamed the strikes on Russia and identified laser-guided Krasnopol missiles as being used in the attack.
The incident occured around dawn.
The victims were named as:
Family members (5)
- Mustafa Muhammad Ajaj Child male killed
- Mohamed Ajaj's wife Adult female Mother of Mustafa, Murad, and Ahmed killed
- Murad Muhammad Ajaj Child male killed
- Ahmed Mohamed Ajaj Child male killed
- Hamza Khaled Habib 8 years old male Cousin of other children, raised by their parents killed
Summary
Sources (40) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (34) [ collapse]
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