Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS1663

Incident date

November 22, 2016

Location

الميسر, Al Maysar, Aleppo, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.212011, 37.171227 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Street level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Between one and five civilians were killed – including three children and a woman – and as many as dozens more were wounded in an alleged airstrike which struck Al Maysar, Aleppo on the morning of the 22nd.

There is conflicted reporting on who was to blame for the alleged airstrikes, with sources such as Al Jazeera blaming the Syrian regime. However most sources attributed blame to Russian warplanes.

Al Jazeera claimed that poisonous chloride gas was used, however none of the other sources support this claim, despite evidence to suggest that the gas was being used during other incidents of the Russia campaign in November 2016. There were also multiple reports that explosive barrels had been dropped.

According to @ZaitonMagazin, a family of five were killed.

Many sources reported that explosive barrel bombs and parachute missiles were used in the alleged raid.

Upsetting footage shows a young girl being rescued from the rubble. She is one of up to 24 alleged injured casualties.

More video evidence shows a man weeping over the loss of his baby son who was killed in his home.

The incident occured around dawn.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 5
  • (3 children1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    8–24
  • 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 (15) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]

  • Footage of an injured child being rescued from under the rubble of her home following an alleged Russian and Syrian regime raid on Al Maysar, Aleppo, 22nd November 2016. (via SDC Aleppo)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    A father weeps over the body of his dead child in the aftermath of an alleged Russian and Syrian regime raid on Al Maysar, Aleppo, 22nd November 2016. (via AleppoAMC)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    The body of a dead child is taken from the scene following an airstrike on his home by an alleged Russian and Syrian regime raid on Al Maysar, Aleppo, 22nd November 2016. (via @yosefhosain)

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
    1 – 5
  • (3 children1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    8–24
  • 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 (15) [ collapse]