Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS1650

Incident date

November 20, 2016

Location

عربين, Arbeen, Damascus, Syria

Geolocation

33.538143, 36.364331 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

At least one civilian was killed – another source reported “martyrs” suggesting multiple – and between one and two were wounded following alleged air and artillery strikes on Arbeen.

Sources are conflicted regrading who was to blame. Two sources blamed Syrian regime warplanes for the raids, and only one blamed Russia. Other sources remained impartial.

According to sources, residential buildings were struck in the airstrikes and “heavy artillery shelling”.

An on the ground source reported that there were two raids overall. LCCSY however reported that there were seven raids on Arbeen.

Video footage shows a wounded woman being transported to a medical facility by the White Helmets.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Arbeen (عربين), for which the generic coordinates are: 33.538143, 36.364331. 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
    0 – 2
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • 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 (6) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • A wounded female adult is transported to a medical facility by the White Helmets in the aftermath of the alleged Russian and Syrian regime raids on Arbeen, 20th November 2016. (via SDC Algouta Al Sharqia)

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.”

Syrian Regime Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0 – 2
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • 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 (6) [ collapse]