Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS204

Incident date

November 28, 2015

Location

مَعَرَّة النُّعْمَان, Maarat al Numan, Idlib, Syria

Geolocation

35.647038, 36.679174 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Three civilians were reported killed, and five to six injured, in an alleged Russian airstrike on the town of Maarat al Numan, according to multiple sources.

Shaam News Network said the raid targeted the only water well in the town – at a time when a number of citizens were using the facility. It posted a video depicting the aftermath of the alleged strike. At 0’33” the sign on a wall reads: ‘The project for drinking water in Ma’arat Al Nu’uman’. A grain store or bakery was also reported destroyed.

A witness interviewed by Shaam notes: “The emergency centres were targeted in Ma’arat Al-Nu’man with a Russian missile. This is a humanitarian services centre which has no sign of militants and over there is the well of Ma’arat which feeds into the town. It is used for emergencies [fires etc] Is this a place of terrorists?  A child died here and two other people who had come to collect water. To the Arabs and to the civilised world – these are humanitarian targets that Putin is bombing.”

Moustafa Ghareeb, a local media activist, told the Syrian Network for Human Rights: “On Saturday the Russian warplanes launched four airstrikes on the city between 11:30 and 12:00 p.m. The airstrike targeted a water well of the Dourat Al Kheir Organization. This well provides the city with more than 130 filled water-tankers daily. The airstrike also targeted a wheat storage place which killed two individuals including a tank driver and injured 6 workers. The well and the storage place were damaged greatly.

The SN4HR named two victims killed in the strike.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Adult male named by SN4HR killed
Child male named by SN4HR killed

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the city of Maarat al Numan (مَعَرَّة النُّعْمَان), for which the generic coordinates are: 35.647038, 36.679174. 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
    3
  • (1 child1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    10
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military

Sources (10) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (5) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Image depicting the ruins of a wheat warehouse, following an alleged Russian airstrike on Ma'arat Al Nu'man, November 28th (via Almarra Today)
  • The aftermath of an alleged Russian airstrike on Maarat al Numan. Nov 28th (via ShaamNetwork S.N.N)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Ahmad Abdullah Mezar Makhzoum (via VDC)
  • 'A new airstrike by an alleged Russian aircraft hit a store for wheat and a water well in Ma'arat al-Nu'man in rural Idlib', Nov 28th (via Almarra today)

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

Russian Military

Russia reported that “In the course of the last week, November 26 – December 4, the Russian aircraft have performed 431 combat sorties from the Hmeymim airbase making pinpoint strikes on 1458 terrorist objects in the Aleppo, Idlib, Latakia, Hama, Homs, Deir ez-Zor and Raqqah provinces.”

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (1 child1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    10
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military

Sources (10) [ collapse]