Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS2865

Incident date

January 7, 2018

Location

شارع الثلاثين, al Thalatheen street, Idlib city, Idlib, Syria

Geolocation

35.9266201, 36.6180588 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Up to 43 civilians including many women and children died and tens more were wounded in at least one major explosion in Idlib on January 7th, local media said. The event was widely reported as a car bombing, reportedly targeting theheadquarters of the Caucasus Army, allied with the Sham Liberation Organization (formerly Nasra Front),  located on Al-Thalatheen Street in the center of Idlib. However, residential builidings were also hit, and according to the source Rudaw, there were four bombings.

While the vast majority of sources attributed the civilian harm to a car bombing, there were also several allegations that Russian warplanes had struck the street with highly explosive missiles.

Nedaa-sy reported: “A violent explosion rocked the city of Idlib on Sunday evening [Jan 7th], the result of a car bomb, which led to dozens of deaths and injuries, and the number is still likely to increase.

“At least 25 people were killed in the blast, most of them children and women. Dozens of people were injured in the explosion, he said. Al-Thalatheen Street, where the explosion took place west of the city, is usually overcrowded.

“The explosion destroyed a number of residential buildings and set fire to other buildings. Our correspondent explained that the civil defense teams and the ambulance rushed to the scene to save the injured and to remove the victims from the rubble.”

Alkhaleej Online said that “the explosions occurred in a sequence”, adding that 30 people died and 70 more were injured. But other sources put the number of wounded as high as 106.

@Halab Today blamed a Russian strike, putting the civilian death toll at 37, including 11 women. It added that “three residential buildings were destroyed”.

Syrianoor also pointed to an airstrike rather than a car bombing, reporting that “witnesses said the explosion was not caused by a car bomb, but bombed by aviation.”

Free Deir Ezzor named the “family of Tayseer al-Hatimi” as killed again pointing to “warplanes”, which had reportedly struck a residential building. The family were from the town of Hassrat in the Idlib countryside.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (4)

A member of the family of Tayseer al-Hatimi
killed
A member of the family of Tayseer al-Hatimi
killed
A member of the family of Tayseer al-Hatimi
killed
A member of the family of Tayseer al-Hatimi
killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    23 – 43
  • (4–9 children5–11 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    12–106
  • 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, Unknown

Sources (29) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (14) [ collapse]

  • The aftermath of the explosion on Thalatheen street, Idlib, jan 7th 2018 (via Nedaa-sy)
  • The aftermath of the explosion on Thalatheen street, Idlib, Jan 7th 2018 (via Baladi)
  • The aftermath of the explosion on Thalatheen street, Idlib, Jan 7th 2018 (via Souriyati)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    A wounded child following the explosion in Thalatheen street, Idlib, jan 7th 2018 (via Idleb city)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    A wounded child following the explosion in Thalatheen street, Idlib, jan 7th 2018 (via Idleb city)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    A wounded child following the explosion in Thalatheen street, Idlib, jan 7th 2018 (via Idleb city)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    A wounded child following the explosion in Thalatheen street, Idlib, jan 7th 2018 (via Idleb city)
  • The aftermath of the explosion on Thalatheen street, Idlib, Jan 8th 2018 (via Horrya)
  • The aftermath of the explosion on Thalatheen street, Idlib, Jan 8th 2018 (via Horrya)
  • The aftermath of the explosion on Thalatheen street, Idlib, Jan 8th 2018 (via Horrya)
  • The aftermath of the explosion on Thalatheen street, Idlib, Jan 8th 2018 (via Zaman alwasl)
  • The aftermath of the explosion on Thalatheen street, Idlib, Jan 8th 2018 (via Syrian noor)
  • The aftermath of the explosion on Thalatheen street, Idlib, Jan 8th 2018 (via Free Deir Ezzor)
  • The aftermath of the explosion on Thalatheen street, Idlib, Jan 8th 2018 (via Free Deir Ezzor)

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Syrian Regime Assessment:

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

Unknown Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Unknown
  • Unknown position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    23 – 43
  • (4–9 children5–11 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    12–106
  • 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, Unknown

Sources (29) [ collapse]