Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS1619

Incident date

November 18, 2016

Location

ياقد العدس, Yaqid Al Adas Village, Aleppo, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.2645222, 37.0187463 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Between 10 and 30 civilians were reported killed and dozens wounded in a raid of concussion rockets on Yaqid Al Adas, Aleppo, according to multiple sources – though it was unclear whether Russia or the Assad regime were responsible.

Khalid al-Qasim, a field activist in Northern Aleppo, told Ara News that the death toll was as high as 30 civilians and that Russian warplanes were responsible for the event: “The Russian warplanes committed a horrific massacre in the northern countryside of Aleppo after targeting civilian houses in the town of Yaqed Al Adas with a number of concussion rockets, causing 30 deaths and dozens of wounded, including women and children.”

Most sources attributed responsibility for the event to Russia, whilst some did not apportion blame.

Syrian Network for Human Rights, however, who put the death toll at “at least 18 civilians dead”, reported that “government warplanes” were responsible for the raid on Yaqid Al Adas.

Aleppo AMC reported that “more than ten” civilians had died and that most were women and children – a fact that was also reported by Syria News Time – however, there was no further detail of the identification of the victims to confirm this.

HNN’s list of martyrs states that 25 civilians were killed “following Russian enemy raids” on Yaqid Al Adas.

All of the sources that mention wounded civilians, state that there were “dozens”, however, no further detail is known.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    10 – 30
  • 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 (18) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (5) [ collapse]

  • Translation: The massacre of Yaqed Al Adas 18/11/2016.
  • Translation: Influential - The moment a child was rescued from the rubble in the town of Yaqed Al Adas in the northern countryside of Aleppo.
  • Translation: Photo showing a girl under the rubble. A result of the bombing of the village of Yaqed Al Adas in rural #Aleppo, by government warplanes which caused the massacre on November 18.
  • Translation: massacre carried out by Russian aviation in the town of Yaqed Al Adas in rural West Aleppo. Preliminary toll 20 martyrs and wounded.
  • Translation: around 20 civilians killed and others injured following Russian air raids targeting the town of Yaked Adas in the western Aleppo countryside.

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
    10 – 30
  • 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 (18) [ collapse]