(Previous Incident Code: R229)

26 to 30 civilians including five women were killed and dozens injured in airstrikes on Maskaneh, according to multiple sources – though reports were conflicted as to whether the attack was the work of Russia or the Assad regime.

The Shaam News Network reported that Russian aircraft committed an “appalling massacre” when warplanes targeted Maskaneh’s popular market “Bazaar” in two airstrikes.

Activists told SNN that the market was packed full of civilians, meaning that the death toll exceeded 30 and that many of the dead were unrecognisable due to deformation of bodies.

SNN noted that although Maskaneh is under IS control, the raids are only targeting markets and civilians.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported on the attack, initially putting the death toll at least 12 and then 30, including five women. They also noted that four IS militants were killed. Although they stated that “warplanes” were responsible, they did not say who they belonged to.

According to the IS agency Al A’maq, 24 were “dead and injured“, with most of them being women. They said that there had been three Russian raids.

But the Syrian Network for Human Rights, who put the death toll at 20, said that regime missiles were to blame.

The VDC also accounted for three unidentified victims:

Unidentified 1 – adult, male

Unidentified 2 – adult, male

Unidentified 3 – adult, male from Homs