Incident Code

RS1685

Location

تقاد, Taqad, western Aleppo counntryside, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.1994732, 36.871233
Accuracy: Town

Airwars Assessment

Last Updated: December 15, 2024

(Previous Incident Code: R1544)

Between 12 and 50 civilians including women and children died and as many as dozens more were wounded in an airstrike on Taqad, Aleppo, according to sources on the ground. Multiple reports said that a mosque was struck and other civilian property damaged. The majority of sources attributed the event to Moscow, though there was one allegation against the Assad regime.

The Violations Documentation Center named 12 people as killed, including four children and four women. There were multiple victims from several families.

According to Alarabiya: “activists reported a horrific massacre in the town of Taqad in Aleppo as a result of being targeted by Russian aviation.” This source gave the highest death count of “about 50 worshippers”.

Most other reports, however, said between five and 14 people died.

SPM reported that “Russian planes committed a new massacre in which seven civilians, including five children, a woman and a man were killed during a rocket-propelled grenade attack on a perimeter of a mosque in the town of Takad during Friday prayers.”

Step News Agency said that the death toll had risen to 14 including four women and six children.

One source, HNN, pointed to the regime, claiming that “land to lad missiles injured several people and caused material damage” – though it made no mention of any fatalities.

Victims

Family members (3)

Adult female killed
Adult male killed
Adult female

Family members (4)

Child male killed
Child male killed
Child male killed
Child male killed

Invidivuals

Adult male killed
Adult female killed
Adult female killed
Adult male killed

Key Information

Country
Military Actor
Civilian Harm Reported
Yes
Civilian Harm Status
Contested
Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
Civilians reported killed
12–50
4–6 Children, 4 Women, 4 Men
Civilians reported injured
2–24

Geolocation Notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Taqad, western Aleppo counntryside ( تقاد), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.1994732, 36.871233. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Military Statements

Russian Military Assessment
Suspected belligerent
Russian Military
Russian Military position on incident
Not yet assessed
Russian Military Strike Report
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

Media From Sources (9)