Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS1748

Incident date

December 5, 2016

Location

ريف حماة الشرقي, Eastern countryside of Hama, Hama, Syria

Geolocation

35.200000, 37.200000 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Province/governorate level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

As many as two civilians were killed, with several “confirmed injured”, in airstrikes on the Eastern countryside of Hama, according to local media. Only one source attributed blame to Russian warplanes, whereas the rest blamed the Syrian regime.

According to Airwars researchers, all the sources apart from Smart News are allegedly Syrian regime propaganda.

Additionally there are no specific casualty figures reported by any media. Smart declared that there were “dead and wounded among civilians following Russian air raids on Salba and Rasim al Qidssiya, Akeirbat and al Hisso which are under the control of the opposition in the northern Hama countryside.”

There are no other details at this time.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the province/governorate of Eastern countryside of Hama (ريف حماة الشرقي), for which the generic coordinates are: 35.200000, 37.200000. 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 – 2
  • Civilians reported injured
    0–2
  • 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, Syrian Regime

Sources (6) [ collapse]

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 December 1st – 31st 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

Syrian Regime Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0 – 2
  • Civilians reported injured
    0–2
  • 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, Syrian Regime

Sources (6) [ collapse]