Geolocation
Airwars assessment
Two civilians died in a strike on farmland near Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib, according to sources on the ground – though reports were conflicted as to whether Russia or the Syrian regime were to blame.
Step News Agency, LCCSY, @Sy_Reporter and Shahba Press all blamed Russia – and put the number of civilians killed at two. However, many other sources reported that the regime had carried out strikes on the area.
According to Rozanafm, “Syrian warplanes launched successive air raids on the town of Ma’ar Shmareen east of the city of Maarat al-Nu’man after midnight, which also led to the deaths of seven people from one family and the destruction of a number of civilian houses. The air force also launched several air raids on the villages of Sheikh Mustafa, Nukir, Wahish, Hamediyah, Sarmin and Sarakin towns and the outskirts of Khan Sheikhoun, resulting in the death of a child in the village of Naquir and minor injuries in other areas.”
Al Jazeera also pointed to Assad, reporting that “rescue teams recovered the victims and wounded from the rubble and transported them to the field hospitals, while the regime raided the cities of Khan Sheikhoun and Srin and the villages of Sida and Hamidiyah and Sheikh Mustafa south of Idlib”.
@FREE_TV_SYRIA added that “Assad sub-machine guns launch heavy machine-gun raids on the town of Khan Sheikhoun in the southern countryside of Idlib”.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
Summary
Sources (16) [ collapse]
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention the town of Khan Shaykhun (خان شيخون), for which the generic coordinates are: 35.44208, 36.65095. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.
Russian Military Assessment:
Original strike reports
On 20th October 2016, the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation reported on the decisions made aimed towards stabilising the situation in Aleppo.
""Today, strikes by the Russian Aerospace Forces and the Syrian Air Force are finished at 10:00 (MSK) in the area of Aleppo. Early termination of the airstrikes is essential for holding a “humanitarian pause” on October 20, 2016”, said General of the Army Sergei Shoigu. According to him, it will allow to guarantee security of civilians leaving the city through 6 humanitarian corridors and to prepare casualty and medical evacuation from the eastern part of Aleppo.
“We apply to the leadership of countries influencing on armed formations active in the eastern part of Aleppo with a proposal to convince their leaders to stop warfare and leave the city,” stated the Minister of Defence.
According to General of the Army Sergei Shoigu, by the start of the “humanitarian pause” the Syrian troops will have been withdrawn to the distance safe for insurgents to leave the city with weapons through two special corridors: one – along the Kastello road, second – in the area of Suk al-Hai market."