Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS1717

Incident date

November 28, 2016

Location

الحولة, Al Hola, Homs, Syria

Geolocation

34.961784, 36.559632 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Between four and 11 civilians died in shelling on Al Hola in Homs, according to sources on the ground. The majority of sources blamed artillery and mortar shelling by the regime, however, one report attributed the civilian harm to Russian airstrikes. Multiple reports said that an agricultural tractor carrying displaced people was struck in the attack.

Most sources put the death toll at six, though @homs_wpa said as many as 11 died.

According to LCCSY “12 [died] from #Homs, most of them in Russian airstrikes on #Holeh and #Ghantou.”

Syrian Press Center reported that “five fighters of Ahrar Sham,” died  “after the fall of a shell on one of the movement’s headquarters”.

 

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Al Hola (الحولة), for which the generic coordinates are: 34.961784, 36.559632. 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
    4 – 11
  • Civilians reported injured
    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 (13) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • '10 martyrs after the targeting by Assad forces stationed in the village of ِAl Ghor of an agricultural tractor carrying displaced in the area of Hula in the countryside # Homs'

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
    4 – 11
  • Civilians reported injured
    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 (13) [ collapse]