Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS1672

Incident date

November 23, 2016

Location

جاسم, Jassem, Dara'a, Syria

Geolocation

32.991344, 36.060136 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

An airstrike, that struck the city of Jassem in Dara’a, reportedly killed up to nine civilians and wounded dozens more, including women and children, local media said. The incident was described by several media as a “massacre”. Sources were conflicted as to whether Russia or the Assad regime were to blame.

Sources reported between five to nine civilians casualties as a result of the strike. Most said that seven civilians were killed. Moreover, several sources reported that the strike had wounded “dozens”, including women and children. LCCSY, Syrian Press Center and Dara Martyr News identified a total of eight civilian male victims, hereof one confirmed adult.

A media activist told Umayya Press that “the air force targeted the center of the city with an air strike that killed seven civilians, including displaced people from the city of Ankle, and carried out several air raids on the outskirts of the city.”

The strike reportedly hit a residential area, several media said. RFS Media reported that: “The military aircraft of the regime forces carried out a new massacre in the countryside of Daraa after targeting the residential neighbourhoods of Jassim in the morning with an air raid on the homes of civilians and shops nearby, leaving a large number of martyrs and wounded among the civilians”. The strike was, therefore, said to have inflicted heavy damage on properties as well. Other sources said that the city’s market was hit.

The majority of the sources, including Step news agency, LCCSY and Smart News, pointed to “Russian warplanes”, while some others – the Syrian Network for Human Rights, Shaam News, Rfsmediaoffice News and Muheet News – attributed the strikes to the Syrian regime. A number of other reports didn’t identify the responsible party, referring only to “warplanes”.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Muhammad Kheir Issa Haji
Adult male killed
Mahmoud Fayez Hamza Haji
Age unknown male killed
Ismael Hasan Hajaj
Age unknown male killed
Hamza Ismael Hajaj
Age unknown male killed
Hisham Mouhammad Kheir Khaled Haji
Age unknown male killed
Mouhammad Kheir Ismael Naser
Age unknown male killed
Mohammad Ahmad Hennawi
Age unknown male killed
A young man from Shahada family
Age unknown male killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5 – 9
  • (1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–24
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (27) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (18) [ collapse]

  • Al-Arabiya News reporting about the incident in Jassem, Dara'a, calling it a "massacre" (via Al-Arabiya
  • Footage of the immediate, chaotic, aftermath of the contested strike that inflicted heavy damage on big parts of the city of Jassem, Dar'a' (via Daraa Martyrs Documentation Office)
  • The contested strike inflicted heavy damage on the city of Jassem, Dara'a (via Dara Martyrs News)
  • The contested strike inflicted heavy damage on the city of Jassem, Dara'a (via Dara Martyrs News)
  • The contested strike inflicted heavy damage on the city of Jassem, Dara'a (via Dara Martyrs News)
  • The contested strike inflicted heavy damage on the city of Jassem, Dara'a (via Dara Martyrs News)
  • Civil Defence members trying to extinguish the fire in the aftermath of the contested strike which hit the city of Jassem, Dara'a, where the (via Dara Martyrs News)
  • Civil Defence members trying to extinguish the fire in the aftermath of the contested strike which hit the city of Jassem, Dara'a, where the (via Dara Martyrs News)
  • The contested strike inflicted heavy damage on the city of Jassem, Dara'a (via Dara Martyrs News)
  • The contested strike inflicted heavy damage on the city of Jassem, Dara'a (via Dara Martyrs News)
  • The contested strike inflicted heavy damage on the city of Jassem, Dara'a (via Dara Martyrs News)
  • The contested strike inflicted heavy damage on the city of Jassem, Dara'a (via Dara Martyrs News)
  • The contested strike inflicted heavy damage on the city of Jassem, Dara'a (via Dara Martyrs News)
  • Footage showing the destruction caused by the contested airstrikes targeting the city of Jassem, Dar'a (via Shahed Media Foundation)
  • Footage of the immediate, chaotic, aftermath of the contested strike that inflicted heavy damage on big parts of the city of Jassem, Dar'a' (via SMO News)
  • The contested strike inflicted heavy damage on the city of Jassem, Dara'a (via @SyriaCivilDefe tweet)
  • The contested strike inflicted heavy damage on the city of Jassem, Dara'a (via @sameer88967 tweet)
  • Mohammed Khair Issa Al-Hajji-Jassim was reportedly killed by the contested airstrike targeting Jassem, Dara'a (via Jaassemcity Facebook)

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
    5 – 9
  • (1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–24
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (27) [ collapse]