Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

R4537

Incident date

August 5, 2023

Location

جسر الشغور, Jisr Al Shogour, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

On August 5th 2023, between three and four civilian children were injured during shelling allegedly carried out by the Syrian regime and/or Russian forces on a residential neighborhood in the city of Jisr al-Shughur, Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported a few days later that one of the children had died from their wounds.

The Syrian Civil Defense (@SyriaCivilDefe) reported that the four children from the same family had suffered “fractures and bruising” when a wall collapsed outside their home following shelling. Syria TV added that one of the injuries was “a case of suffocation due to inhalation of rubble and shelling dust.” The Syrian Civil Defence posted images on the X website, formerly Twitter, of their teams inspecting the aftermath of the shelling and providing medical treatment to a child named Haitham Sarhan Dandash, who is five years old.

@Omar_Madaniah provided the names of three of the children injured: Haitham Sarhan Dandash, five years old, injured, male; Salam Sarham Dandash, five years old, injured, male; Kawkab Sarhan Dandash, fourteen years old, injured female.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on August 10th, five days after the incident, that one of the children later died of her wounds.

Our-Syria news identified the location of the shelling as being close to Al-Turkman Mosque in Jisr al-Shughur.

Sources were conflicted as to who was responsible for the shelling, with the Syrian Civil Defense blaming both the Syrian regime and Russian forces while the majority of sources attributed the shelling to the Syrian regime. Syria TV specified that the shelling came from Syrian regime forces stationed in Jourin camp.

The incident occured in the evening.

The victims were named as:

Family members (3)

Haitham Sarhan Dandash
5 years old male injured
Salam Sarham Dandash
5 years old male injured
Kawkab Sarhan Dandash
14 years old female injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    3–4
  • 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 belligerents
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (19) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (9) [ collapse]

  • Civil Defense volunteers responded to alleged Syrian regime or Russian shelling on August 5, 2023. (Image posted by @SyriaCivilDefe)
  • Civil Defense volunteers responded to alleged Syrian regime or Russian shelling on August 5, 2023. (Image posted by @SyriaCivilDefe)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Civil Defense volunteers responded to alleged Syrian regime or Russian shelling on August 5, 2023. (Image posted by @SyriaCivilDefe)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Civil Defense volunteers responded to alleged Syrian regime or Russian shelling on August 5, 2023. (Image posted by @SyriaCivilDefe)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    With love, the volunteer "Mustafa Khadura" talks to the child "Haitham" in the hope that he will forget the pain while providing him with treatment in the hospital after he and his three brothers suffered fractures and bruises after the collapse of the wall of their house in Jisr Al-Shughur, west of Idlib, as a result of artillery shelling by the regime forces and Russia this Saturday evening. Aug. 5.
  • The father of a child, injured during shelling in the Syrian city of Jisr al-Shughur, attending his child at a Syrian Civil Defence medical checkpoint (Image posted by @SyriaCivilDefe via Twitter, on August 5th, 2023)
  • Residential building in the city of Jisr al-Shughur which was shelled by alleged Syrian regime / Russian forces (Image posted by @Nedal_8_1984 via Twitter, on August 5th, 2023)
  • Damage caused by alleged Syrian regime or Russian shelling on August 5, 2023. (Image posted by Our-Syria News)
  • Damage caused by alleged Syrian regime or Russian shelling on August 5, 2023. (Image posted by Our-Syria 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
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    3–4
  • 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 belligerents
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (19) [ collapse]