(Previous Incident Codes: R2968RS3175)

In a major civilian harm incident, up to 23 civilians – 21 of whom were named – were killed and as many as 40 others were wounded in air, artillery, and rocket strikes  on the residential vicinity of Kafar Batna, local media reported. Sources blamed both the Syrian regime and Russia for the airstrikes. The strikes reportedly struck a market and civilian neighbourhoods.

According to the Smart News Network, “The civil defense said on its Facebook page that the initial toll of the victims of Russian air strikes on the popular market and residential neighborhoods in Kafarbatna was 20 people  killed and 40 wounded, including women and children. Tcivil defense teams managed to evacuate the largest number of injured.” The source added that activists said the death toll had risen to 22.

@SiegeWatch reported that the strikes “killed dozens of civilians today while UN aid convoy was in #EasternGhouta. Among the victims was Dr. Ahmad al-Wahba, head of a dental clinic in Kafr Batna.”

As well as the 21 named victims, another two unidentified adult males were reported to have been killed, according to the Violations Documentation Centre, who blamed “Syrian government and affiliated militias”.

Halab Today noted “continuous air raids” on the city.

The strikes reportedly occurred during the night.

Syria noor put the death toll as high as 23, reporting that the shelling – which included rockets, artillery, as well as airstrikes – hit  “the area of ​​production in the center of the town”.