Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS1321

Incident date

September 23, 2016

Location

الفردوس, Al Fardous (Aleppo), Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.180995, 37.151892 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Between two and 19 civilians were killed in an aerial bombardment on the Aleppo neighbourhood of al Ferdos, multiple sources reported – though reports were conflicted as to whether Russia or the Assad regime was to blame.

Photographs from various sources appeared to show five casualties.

Sources were unclear on the number of casualties, though reports tended to agree that among the casualties were one or two children, one woman, and one man. The Syrian Network for Human Rights put the death toll at three, including one female child and one woman.

Erem News posted photographs of White Helmets digging bodies out of rubble. The photographs showed adult bodies covered in dust, making it difficult to distinguish the number of dead.

A photograph tweeted by @salqin showed an older man holding a young man’s dead body. This photograph was also tweeted by @TRtalarabiya, with a caption that said, “The number of victims today in Aleppo rose to 93 after a baby and an old man were killed in the neighbourhood of Al Fardous raid by a Russian cluster bomb.”

The Syrian Network for Human Rights posted a photograph of Mostafa Hamdan’s dead body. Two other Twitter accounts, @aboalhodaalhoms and @AleppoAMC, tweeted a second photograph of Mostafa, which appeared to have been taken shortly after the first.

An account called @IranArabSpring tweeted more photographs of the neighbourhood shortly after the attacks. In the photos, at least three civilian deaths can be seen: there is a mangled body, a small child (not Mostafa Hamdan), the body of an adult man, and a body wrapped in a rug.

Other sources mentioned higher numbers: AleppoAMC said nine were killed and “dozens” wounded in the attack, while Qasioun News claimed at least 19 deaths.

A YouTube video posted by AleppoAMC showed one body, which appeared to be an adult male, being pulled out of the rubble. Elmwatin News claimed three deaths and “scores” wounded, but noted the casualty numbers could rise as more bodies were pulled out of the rubble.

All4Syria and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that helicopters (belonging to the regime) were involved in the Aleppo strikes for that day, meaning that Assad’s involvement in this event can’t be ruled out.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Mostapha Hamdan
8 months years old male killed
Omar Moussali
Adult male killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 19
  • (1–2 children1 woman1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    12–24
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected belligerents
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (35) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (8) [ collapse]

  • Locals trying to rescue survivors from under the rubble following the contested airstrikes on Al Fardous, Sept 23rd (via AleppoAMC)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Eight months old Mostapha Hamdan was reportedly killed during the airstrikes in Fardous, Sept 23rd, carried out by either the Syrian regime or Russia (via SN4HR)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Eight months old Mostapha Hamdan was reportedly killed during the airstrikes in Fardous, Sept 23rd, carried out by either the Syrian regime or Russia (via aboalhodaalhoms twitter)
  • A child victim of the contested airstrikes in Aleppo today, reportedly from the strikes in al-Ferdous, Sept 23rd (via TRTalarabiye News)
  • The contested strikes in al-ferdous wounded and killed several civilians, Sept 23rd (via Iran Arab Spring)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    The contested strikes in al-Ferdous wounded and killed several civilians, Sept 23rd (via Iran Erem News)
  • The contested strikes in al-Ferdous wounded and killed several civilians, Sept 23rd (via Iran Erem News)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    The contested strikes in al-Ferdous wounded and killed several civilians, Sept 23rd (via Iran Erem News)

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

Russian Military

Russia has not reported any strikes between September 1st – 30th 2016.

Syrian Regime Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Syrian Regime
  • Syrian Regime position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 19
  • (1–2 children1 woman1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    12–24
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected belligerents
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (35) [ collapse]