Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS1620

Incident date

November 18, 2016

Location

بلدة حريتان, Hraytan town, Aleppo, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.287032, 37.08332 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Up to 10 civilians were killed and “dozens” injured in an airstrike on Hraytan, Aleppo, according to a report by the Step News Agency.

Step said: “More than ten killed and dozens injured – most of them women and children – and survivors were pulled out from under the rubble following Russian raids on the town of Hraytan.”

All other sources also attributed responsibility for the event to Russian warplanes, besides Emaratalyoum News, who reported that Assad’s regime were active in Hraytan: 

Dozens of civilians were killed and dozens of civilians were injured by the Syrian regime’s helicopters throwing dozens of explosive barrels at the besieged neighbourhoods of Aleppo…The fighters also used cluster bombs in other neighbourhoods in the northern suburbs of the city, targeting the cities of Hreitan, Oujan and Hayyan town with rockets.”

The source, @Anas_Alhage, reported that the Russian air force carried out five strikes “with surface rockets” on Hraytan on November 18th. 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Hraytan town, Aleppo (بلدة حريتان), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.287032, 37.08332. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    10
  • 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 (5) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • The moment of extraction of two children from the rubble in the city of Hreitan.

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
  • 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 (5) [ collapse]