Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

R4389

Incident date

September 15, 2021

Location

محيط بلدة الزرزور, Al Zarzour town, Idlib, Syria

Geolocation

35.954835, 36.340245 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

One child was killed and three other civilians, two children and a woman, were injured in eight alleged Russian airstrikes on the town of Zarzour on September 15, 2021.

According to the Syrian Civil Defense, a woman and three children were injured when eight airstrikes by Russian planes struck a poultry farm between Zarzour and Mazra. They added that White Helmet members searched the site of the strikes for any other casualties and helped those injured.

Media activist in Idlib, Bilal Bayoush, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that one of the raids hit a camp for displaced people located between the two mentioned villages, injuring three children.

@MasarPressNet and Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported the next day that one of the children that was injured in the strikes succumbed to his wounds. SOHR added that the child was from the “Turkistan” region.

A tweet from @Nabel_othman023 identified the location of the strikes as being near a camp for widows in the vicinity of the town of Zarzour.

All of the sources that reported on the strikes attributed the strikes to Russia and North Press Agency reported that high-explosive vacuum missiles were used in the attack.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • Cause of injury / death
    Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN)
  • 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 (19) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (11) [ collapse]

  • White Helmets search through a damaged building following strikes on Al Zarzour town on September 15, 2021. (Image posted by Syrian Civil Defense)
  • White Helmets search through a damaged building following strikes on Al Zarzour town on September 15, 2021. (Image posted by Syrian Civil Defense)
  • White Helmets search through a damaged building following strikes on Al Zarzour town on September 15, 2021. (Image posted by Syrian Civil Defense)
  • Dust and smoke from strikes on Al Zarzour town on September 15, 2021. (Image posted by Syrian Civil Defense)
  • Dust and smoke from strikes on Al Zarzour town on September 15, 2021. (Image posted by @abo_aljod84)
  • Dust and smoke from strikes on a camp for widows near Al Zarzour town on September 15, 2021. (Image posted by @Nabel_othman023)
  • Dust and smoke from strikes near Al Zarzour town on September 15, 2021. (Image posted by @tommycats4)
  • Dust and smoke from strikes near Al Zarzour town on September 15, 2021. (Image posted by @tommycats4)
  • Dust and smoke from strikes on Al Zarzour town on September 15, 2021. (Image posted by @MShalabyMHZBF)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Zarzour (زرزور‎), for which the generic coordinates are: 35.954835, 36.340245. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

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
    1
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • Cause of injury / death
    Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN)
  • 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 (19) [ collapse]