Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

R4544

Incident date

August 22, 2023

Location

محطة مياه عري في بلدة عين شيب, Urri water station in Ain Shib town, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

At least two people were killed, an elderly man and an 18-year-old boy, and between three and five people were seriously injured, including a woman, a male child and a female child, when alleged Russian bombs hit a disused water station, near the villages of Urri and Ain Shib, west of Idlib, around midnight on August 22nd 2023. All of the victims were living in the water station after having been displaced and SY-24 reported they were all from the same family. The Syrian Civil Defence responded to the incident, retrieved the bodies, treated some of the injured and secured the area. Many livestock were also killed in the strike.

The majority of sources agreed that two people had been killed but the numbers of reported injuries varied. Baladi News reported a woman and male child were injured. Zaman Al Wasl and The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that three people were injured and a family remained buried under rubble. Shaam Network and the Syrian Civil Defence reported that five people were injured, including a woman, a male child and a female child.

Almost all sources described the victims who were killed as an elderly man and an 18-year-old boy. However, @molhamteam tweeted that a female child was killed in the bombing, referring to a video posted by Orient News that showed what appeared to be a body at the site.

Local sources told Zaman Al Wasl and Rozana FM that the abandoned water station was inhabited by displaced families from Ruwaiha who kept their livestock there.

@HadiAlabdallah, a Syrian journalist on the scene, claimed in a video posted to his Ttwitter that the family had been sleeping outside due to the hot weather when the bombs fell.

Shaam Network reported that the water station had been targeted with multiple raids and Al Jazeera stated that there had been two raids.

All of the sources that reported on the incident attributed the airstrikes to Russian forces. Both the Russian Information Agency and a Syrian source confirmed that an airstrike had taken place that night but claimed it had been targeting a headquarters or “monitoring center” of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, according to Al-Jazeera.

The incident occured during the night.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture, Water station
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (2 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    3–5
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military

Sources (22) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (21) [ collapse]

  • Damage caused by alleged Russian airstrikes on Ain Shib town on August 22, 2023. (Image posted by Syrian Civil Defense)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    The body of one of the victims of alleged Russian airstrikes on Ain Shib town on August 22, 2023. (Image posted by @molhamteam)
  • Damage caused by alleged Russian airstrikes on Ain Shib town on August 22, 2023. (Image posted by SY-24)
  • Damage caused by alleged Russian airstrikes on Ain Shib town on August 22, 2023. (Image posted by SY-24)
  • Damage caused by alleged Russian airstrikes on Ain Shib town on August 22, 2023. (Image posted by SY-24)
  • Damage caused by alleged Russian airstrikes on Ain Shib town on August 22, 2023. (Image posted by SY-24)
  • Damage caused by alleged Russian airstrikes on Ain Shib town on August 22, 2023. (Image posted by Rozana FM)
  • Livestock killed by alleged Russian airstrikes on Ain Shib town on August 22, 2023. (Image posted by Rozana FM)
  • Damage caused by alleged Russian airstrikes on Ain Shib town on August 22, 2023. (Image posted by @SyriaCivilDefe)
  • Damage caused by alleged Russian airstrikes on Ain Shib town on August 22, 2023. (Image posted by @SyriaCivilDefe)
  • Damage caused by alleged Russian airstrikes on Ain Shib town on August 22, 2023. (Image posted by @SyriaCivilDefe)
  • Damage caused by alleged Russian airstrikes on Ain Shib town on August 22, 2023. (Image posted by @SyriaCivilDefe)
  • Civil Defense volunteers respond to alleged Russian airstrikes on Ain Shib town on August 22, 2023. (Image posted by @SyriaCivilDefe)
  • Civil Defense volunteers respond to alleged Russian airstrikes on Ain Shib town on August 22, 2023. (Image posted by @SyriaCivilDefe)
  • Civil Defense volunteers respond to alleged Russian airstrikes on Ain Shib town on August 22, 2023. (Image posted by @SyriaCivilDefe)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Civilian casualties as a result of the Russian occupation bombing of a water station in the Ain Sheeb area, west of Idlib.
  • Civilian casualties as the Russian occupation targeted a water station in the Ain Sheeb area, west of Idlib
  • Two deaths and injuries among civilians as a result of the bombing of the Russian occupation air force, Eib Sheeb water station, west of Idlib
  • Killed and wounded as a result of the Russian occupation aircraft targeting the water station in Ain Sheeb, rural #Idlib
  • Civilian casualties as the Russian occupation targeted a water station in the Ain Sheeb area, west of Idlib
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    The death toll from the targeting of the Ain Sheib water station, west of Idlib, has risen to two martyrs and a number of civilian casualties trapped under the rubble. The defense teams are working to save them, after the occupation warplanes targeted the station directly

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture, Water station
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (2 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    3–5
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military

Sources (22) [ collapse]