Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS352

Incident date

January 8, 2016

Location

حزرما, Hazarma, Damascus, Syria

Geolocation

33.51718, 36.48874 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Three civilians including one child were killed in airstrikes on Hazarma, according to multiple sources – though reports were conflicted as to whether the attacks were the work of the Russians or the Assad regime.

The White Helmets reported on two raids by “warplanes before sunset” which targeted a civilian home, leading to the death of three non-combatants (“an entire family“), including a child. Many more were injured.

Shaam News reported that Russian warplanes carried out two airstrikes using high explosive missiles targeting a residential building. Activists told SNN that civil defence teams managed to retrieve three dead people, including a father and his daughter – displaced from the town of al Ibada – from the rubble. A third person was also killed, from the town of Qasmiyeh.

SNN concluded their report by saying “the town of Hazarma is one of the most crowded places, after many families flocked to the town to escape the fighting in Al Marj region and is home to a lot of families displaced from other areas in the eastern Ghouta.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Douma Revolution however, regime warplanes killed three civilians (one a female child) when they bombed areas of Hazarma.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (2)

Zahra Zaheer Mu’ti
Child female named by the White Helmets killed
Zaheer Mu’ti
Age unknown female named by the White Helmets killed

The victims were named as:

Ahmad Darwish
Age unknown named by the White Helmets killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (1 child)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (8) [ collapse]

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 Damascus 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
    3
  • (1 child)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (8) [ collapse]