Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS1720

Incident date

November 29, 2016

Location

كفرزيتا, Kafr Zita neighbourhood, Aleppo, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

35.3747033, 36.5923691 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Local media named six people killed in an alleged Russian or Assad regime air or artillery strike in Kafr Zita – though most sources said that the victims were fighters. According to several reports.

The Step News Agency reported that “Russian fighter jets renewed their bombardment of areas of Hama north Tuesday evening 29th of November with several air strikes, one of them targeting a base belonging to the rebels in Al Issa army in Kafr Zita which led to the killing of seven people among them the commander of the artillery regiment in al Izza  Army, Tariq Kattab”.

The Syrian Observatory also said the victims were “mostly fighters” – but blamed “shelling by the regime forces and warplanes on the [rebels’] headquarters  in Kafr Zita”.

According to Baladi and other sources an ambulance was hit in the strike, “causing injury to the driver and facilities and the burning of the car completely”.

 

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (3)

Adult male Named as a fighter by Kafar Zita martyrs killed
Adult male Named as a fighter by Kafar Zita martyrs killed
Adult male Named as a fighter by Kafar Zita martyrs killed

The victims were named as:

Adult Named as a fighter by Kafar Zita martyrs killed
Adult male Named as a fighter by Kafar Zita martyrs killed
Adult Named as a fighter by Kafar Zita martyrs killed

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Kafr Zita neighbourhood, Aleppo (كفرزيتا), for which the generic coordinates are: 35.3747033, 36.5923691. 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
    0 – 8
  • (0–8 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–10
  • 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 (1) [ collapse]

  • The burnt shell of an ambulance following a strike on Kafr Zita, Nov 29th 2016 (via @SN4HR)

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
    0 – 8
  • (0–8 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–10
  • 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]