Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS1617

Incident date

November 18, 2016

Location

بلدة عرادة, Arada Town, Aleppo, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.06845, 36.943487 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

As many as seven civilians from one family were killed and more than 13 others injured in an airstrike on the village of Arada in Aleppo, according to local media – though sources remain unclear as to whether Russia or the Assad regime were responsible.

The source Aksalsear News, reported that the family died as a result of bombing from Assad’s regime jets. This was corroborated by Syrian Network for Human Rights who stated that “at least five victims from the same family died due to government warplanes”. 

Syria News Desk, however, who put the death toll at seven from one family and more than 13 injured, attributed responsibility to Russian warplanes. Media activist, Abdul Razzaq al-Hussein told Syria News Desk that “Russian aircraft targeted residential sites in the centre of the village of Arada with high-explosive rockets”.

Clarifying that both regime and Russian aircraft were operating in Aleppo that day, Shaam News reported that whilst the regime “targeted several neighbourhoods in the city, as helicopters threw barrels containing toxic chlorine on Hanano and Ard Hamra”, it was “Russian aircraft that committed a massacre against civilians in the town of Arada”.

Sources, @ShbabRevolution and Syrian PC reported that two missiles were fired on the house of the family who died in Arada.

HNN reported those killed as the family of Ali Tabbash – his wife and five children.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (7)

Ali Tabbash
Adult male killed
Wife of Ali Tabbash
Adult female killed
Child of Ali Tabbash
Child killed
Child of Ali Tabbash
Child killed
Child of Ali Tabbash
Child killed
Child of Ali Tabbash
Child killed
Child of Ali Tabbash
Child killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5 – 7
  • (4–5 children1 woman1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    13
  • 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 (22) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (4) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Translation: Martyrdom of a family of seven people by aerial bombardment from Russian occupation aircraft, with two missiles on their house in the village of Arada, in rural West Aleppo.
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Translation: From the village of Arada in the countryside of #WesternAleppo, after being subjected to Russian raids that killed a whole family, including 4 children. #Syria
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Translation: Heavy shelling does not stop on Aleppo and its countryside, and the initial outcome... The martyrdom of two full families - first in the village of "Arada" and the second in the village "Kafarjum", rural Western Aleppo.
  • Translation: Seven civilians were killed, all of them from one family, and more than 13 others wounded, this afternoon. Due to the Russian warplanes targeting with four raids Arada village under the control of the opposition, in the countryside west of Aleppo.

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 specific strikes between November 1st – 30th 2016.

On 6 January 2017, Russia, however, reported: “Since November 8, 2016, the aircraft carrier group of the Northern Fleet consisting of the heavy aircraft carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov, the heavy nuclear missile cruiser Pyotr Velikiy, the large ASW ship Severomorsk, as well as auxiliary vessels of the Black Sea Fleet, has been fulfilling counterterrorist missions on the territory of Syria”, adding that ”in the course of two months of their participation in the combat actions, naval aviation pilots have carried out 420 combat sorties, 117 of them were night ones”.

Additionally, Russia reported that its air forces have carried out strikes in Aleppo during November and December 2016.

Syrian Regime Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5 – 7
  • (4–5 children1 woman1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    13
  • 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 (22) [ collapse]