Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS1675

Incident date

November 24, 2016

Location

حمورية, Hamouriya , Damascus, Syria

Geolocation

33.528464, 36.389472 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Local media reported that airstrikes (possibly also artillery) struck an area near a school in the city of Hamouriya, Damascus, killing and injuring several civilians, including a high number of children. Reports were conflicted as to whether this was the work of Russia or the Assad regime.

Several civilians (between one and two) were reportedly killed by the strikes. LCCSY reported that: “a child was martyred following Russian raids with vacuum missiles on the town of Hamouriya in eastern Ghouta.”

As many as 12 civilians were reportedly wounded. @abomaherdomair put the number at 10, most them children, adding that an airstrike hit a residential building “near children’s schools”.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights named the school as Basheer Abdul Jawad Primary School. The source added that the building was “rendered inoperable” following the strikes.

Al-Jazeera’s correspondent reported “two dead and dozens wounded in an air and artillery bombardment by Syrian regime forces on the cities and towns of Douma and Kafr Batna and Harsta in the countryside of Damascus.” The source added that the bombing hit a primary school “after the exit of students, causing great destruction”.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian infrastructure
    School
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 2
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–12
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected belligerents
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (15) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (7) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Photo of an injured, or killed, civilian, which was associated with the contested strikes targeting Hamouriya, Damascus (via @Baraa_Abdul tweet)
  • The immediate aftermath in the city of Hamouriya, Damascus, after being hit by the contested airstrikes (via Ahmad aldemashqi)
  • The contested strikes targeting the city of Hamouriya, Damascus, reportedly killed and wounded several children (via @abuyassrhomms tweet)
  • The contested strikes inflicted heavy damage on the city of Hamouriya, Damascus, (via @Qasioun News Agency)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    The contested strikes targeting the city of Hamouriya, Damascus, reportedly killed and wounded several children (via @abomaherdomair tweet)
  • The Civil Defence rescuing wounded civilians from under the rubble following the strikes, that struck the city of Hamouriya, Damascus (via @SyriaCivilDefetweet)
  • Basheer Abdul Jawad Primary School in Hamoria, Damascus was reportedly hit by the contested airstrikes and was left completely destroyed (via SN4HR)

Syrian Regime Assessment:

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

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.”

Summary

  • Civilian infrastructure
    School
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 2
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–12
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected belligerents
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (15) [ collapse]