Airwars assessment
In a major casualty incident, which UNICEF called “tragic, shocking, outrageous and a war crime”, 38 named civilians including 18 children and up to six women died in multiple airstrikes on the Martyr Kamal Qal’aji school complex in the village of Haas, which was under the joint control of Armed opposition factions and the Fateh Al Sham Front. Sources were conflicted as to whether this was the work of Russia or the Syrian regime, though all agreed that the village had suffered intensive bombing which lasted up to 20 minutes and included the use of parachutes carrying bombs/missiles. As well as destruction to three schools within the complex, nearly civilian homes were also hit.
Alaraby quoted a media activist in Idlib, Jaber Abu Mohammed, who said that “a Sukhoi-22 warplane dropped six umbrellas loaded with high-explosive rockets. Activists on social networking sites posted pictures of the dead. The photos showed children who had lost their lives covered by blood and dust. Some of them had lost one of their limbs, in addition there were textbooks and school bags scattered in the ground by shelling”.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights published a detailed report on the incident in which it blamed the Syrian regime for the death of 34 civilians of which 12 were children and five were women. A number of teachers were also among those killed.
The report noted that it had been “proven that the targeted areas are civil areas where no military centers or weapon warehouses for armed opposition factions or extremist Islamic groups were fond before or during the attack.”
According to SN4HR, “On Wednesday 26 October 2016, at approximately 10:52 two SU22 fixed-wing government forces warplanes targeted the southern neighborhood in Hass village where the Martyr Kamal Qal’aji school complex, which contains three schools, is located. One of the three schools is an elementary school while the other two are secondary schools. The bombing lasted for about 20 minutes during which the war-planes fired no less than nine missiles carried by parachutes”.
SNHR spoke to Mr. Sad Al Din Zidan, via Facebook, who helped in aiding the students and told us of what he saw. he gave the following testimony: “I was in Ma’aret Al No’man when the Free Syrian Army observatory announced that there are warplanes soaring in the sky of Jabal Al Zawiya. The warplanes carried out the first airstrike on Hass village. I headed there and when I arrived, the warplanes carried out two consecutive airstrikes. The sound of the bombing was terrifying and the missiles were dropped with parachutes. A few minutes later, a new airstrike was carried out and it was only 30 meters away from me. We laid on the ground and Dr. Yousef Al Tarraf, who was aiding the wounded, sustained a critical injury. I saw children’s dead bodies everywhere and scattered body parts were all over the place between the destroyed schools. I went down to one of the shelters and found more than 150 students and a number of teachers who managed to get to the basement and save their lives. However, tens others lost their lives after these airstrikes.”
SN4HR published a WhatsApp by “Tarraf, a local media activist”: I headed to the targeted location in the southern parts of the village near the school complex after the first missile was dropped. The place was filled with people running and screaming for their children. Eight airstrikes were carried out consecutively on the same area. A great number of children and people, who went there to aid the injured, were killed including one of my relatives.” “I saw a woman calling her son and looking for him between the dead bodies. She found his scattered body parts in one of the streets near his school. The missiles also resulted in huge destruction in the school buildings and the surrounding houses. The area is completely a civil area, there are just schools and residential houses and nothing that could be targeted, but the regime targets children as if they were terrorists. The regime is wiping off a whole generation.”
LCCSY also blamed the regime.
However, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and HNN attributed the event to Russia. The Observatory said that at least 37 people died including 15 students and four teachers at the school.
A report by HNN said that “Russian warplanes committed an appalling massacre in the afternoon [of October 26th] targeting a school in the town of Haas. Activists said the plane remained in the atmosphere of the town for several hours prior to the implementation of the raid on the school confirmed that the plane deliberately targeted the school. Those killed ranged from the ages of seven to 25”.
Qasioun was among several other sources that blamed Russia; it added that up to 50 people were wounded in the strikes.
Al Jazeera reported that “the United States, France and Turkey condemned the killing of 28 children in the bombing of the school in Idlib, accusing Russia of carrying it out”. It added: “For his part, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Aireault accused the Russians or the Syrian regime of involvement in the bombing of the town of Hass”.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights named 38 fatalities.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
- Ahmad Abdullah Al Sheikh Najib Child named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Mohammad Jamal Al Sheikh Age unknown male named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Azzam Akram Qal’a Je Age unknown named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Mrs. Amoun Aboud Al Younes Adult female teacher, named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Mrs. Jouriya Na’san Al Na’san Adult female wife of Aref, teacher, named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Aref Jamil al Na’san Adult teacher, named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Mrs. Asmaa Mohammad Al Da’ief Adult female teacher, named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Mrs. Jouriya Ahmad Al Qaddour Adult female teacher, from Al Hammameyat, named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Bisan Khaled Al Gharib Al Farhat Child female named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Bakkour Suliman Al Bakkour Age unknown named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Amjad Ibrahim Al Qaddour Age unknown named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Qasem Hasan Al Younes Age unknown named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Aya Ahmad Al Gharib Al Farhat Child female named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Eman AbdulHalim Eidou Child female named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Abdullah Osama Al A’ma Age unknown named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Fatima Mustafa Haj Suliman Child female named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Mrs. Eman Ibrahim Al Qaddour Adult female named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Abdullah Omar Al Najjar Child male named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Abdullah Al Shawi Age unknown male named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Ahmad Bakr Al Rahmoun Child from Kafr Nabbouda, named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Osama Al Sha’ban Age unknown named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Abdurrahman Ahmad Al Sha’ban Child female named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- son of Abu Alaa Al Hamwi Child male from Hama, named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Taymaa Mohammad Mamoud Al Salmou Child female from Al Latamna, named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Jana Thafer Al A’raj Child female named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Fatima Sameh Al Sheikh Child female named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Hesham Khaled Al Shwarghi Age unknown from Ma’rshamsha, named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- wife of Aboud Haj Suliman Adult female named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- son of Ahmad Mustafa Al Yahya Al Darra' Child male named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Nour Jamil Qal’a Je Child female named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Rinad Khaled Al Da’ief Child female named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Rim Awad Al Shartah Child female named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Badea Awad Al Shartah Child named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Umran Al Hamwi Age unknown from Hama, named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Abdullah Omar Al Najjar Age unknown named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Aisha Mahmoud Al Halabi Child female named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Dr. Yousef Al Tarraf Adult male named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
- Abdullah Mahmoud Osama Al A’ma Child male named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights killed
Summary
Sources (51) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (39) [ collapse]
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Russian Armed Forces 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."