Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS341

Incident date

January 3, 2016

Location

الشيخ مسكين‎, Sheikh Miskeen, Daraa, Syria

Geolocation

32.827948, 36.158664 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A woman and man were killed in Sheikh Miskeen according to local sources – though it is not clear whether regime air or ground forces, strikes by Russian warplanes, or both were responsible for the deaths.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights produced two reports on the incident. The first report said that Russian warplanes carried out 12 strikes on Sheikh Miskeen amid clashes between regime forces and rebels, and that the corpse of an old woman was found “around the town” with activists accusing the regime of killing her. But according to a second report a woman from Sheikh Miskeen died from injuries sustained when warplanes “believed to be Russian” carried out several raids on the town.

The VDC also lists Mohammad Ramadan as having died in the vicinity “Due to Russian air forces shelling.” And al Jazeera reported that “a woman and a child were seriously injured.” The VDC also later listed Basemah Fayez Muneif from the town as having died in al Ramth hospital in Jordan as a result of injuries sustained in regime shelling on January 3rd – which may match this incident.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Adult male named as as having died in the vicinity “Due to Russian air forces shelling.” killed
Adult female having died in al Ramth hospital in Jordan as a result of injuries sustained in regime shelling on January 3rd – which may match this incident killed

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Sheikh Miskeen (الشيخ مسكين‎), for which the generic coordinates are: 32.827948, 36.158664. 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
    2 – 3
  • (1–2 women1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    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

Sources (11) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • The exact moment that the raids fell on Shiekh Miskeen. (via, Step News Agency)

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

Russian Military

In its report for military actions on January 11 2016, the Kremlin reports carrying out strikes in Dara’a governorate: “In the course of 10 days of the year 2016, the Russian aircraft have performed 311 combat sorties engaging 1097 objects in the Aleppo, Idlib, Latakia, Hama, Homs, Damascus, Deir ez-Zor, Hasakah, Daraa, and Raqqah provinces.“

Syrian Regime Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 3
  • (1–2 women1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    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

Sources (11) [ collapse]