Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS1768

Incident date

December 6, 2016

Location

مدينة ادلب, Idlib city, Idlib, Syria

Geolocation

35.937027, 36.635566 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Nearby landmark level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

On December 6, 2016, eight civilians – including six children – were reportedly killed in alleged Russian or Syrian regime raids on on Al-Arbaeen Street and Maarat Al Nisrin roundabout in the city of Idlib, in northwestern Syria, according to sources on the ground.

Misrennabd reported that there had been “four martyrs and 20 wounded as a result of four raids by the Russian air force that targeted different neighborhoods of Idlib”.

Halab News named eight civilians from two families, killed “following raids by the Russian and Assad enemies on the city of Idlib”. A man named Hassan Hamadi al-Rashid was killed alongside four children, two girls named Waqaa Hassan Hamadi and Maryam Hassan Hamadi and two boys named Mohammad Hassan Hamadi and Hamdo Hassan Hamadi.

A woman described as the wife of Mohammad al-Masri was reportedly killed in the incident alongside her two young sons.

In line with Airwars’ methodology, the minimum number of civilians recorded as killed is eight, as eight civilians were identified as killed.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention Al-Arbaeen street and Maarat Al Nisrin roundabout being struck. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further. The generic coordinates for the roundabout are 35.937027, 36.635566.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    8
  • (6 children1 woman1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–20
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • 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 (9) [ 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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    8
  • (6 children1 woman1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–20
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • 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 (9) [ collapse]