Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS3638

Incident date

May 1, 2019

Location

المشيرفة, Mushayrifah, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

One woman and between one and four children were reported wounded when a Russian aircraft struck the village of Al Mushayrifah in rural Idlib in the morning of May 1st. The Syrian Civil Defense forces reported that the children were struck by a “rocket-propelled grenade”.

HalabTodayTV and Syria.liveuamap pointed to Russia as the culprit.

Smarts said that locals had told its correspondent that four civilian including two children wounded.

Baladi published a video including an interview with the brother of the owner of the house that was hit. At 0’12” the man says:  “This morning, Russian planes carried out raids on the house of my brother Ahmad while he was away getting produce and vegetables for his shop. Thank God his older kids were at school sitting exams . The house was totally destroyed, injuring my sister in law and four of my brother’s kids. Thank God the injuries were light but some are still at hospital and thanks be to God. My house was also damaged a bit but my brother’s house was worse, as you can see there is nothing left of it”.

At 0’12” in a video published by Orient, the reporter says: “An air raid by Russian occupation forces targeted civilian neighbourhoods in Al Msheirfa village in the countryside of Jisr al Shoughour west of Idlib which led to the injury of five people, a mother and four of her kids who were under this building. They were pulled out and taken to medical points.”

At 0’38” in the video there’s an interview with the owner of the house that was hit. The man is filmed carrying one of his injured children. He says: “I got in the car and left and I came across someone in the road. I asked him where the plane hit and he told me that it was my house. I came back and found that they were all taken to hospital and thank God the almighty. Now I have a one year old girl in Idlib [perhaps being treated? Doesn’t say] and the rest are back here and they’re all well, thank God. That’s what happened and thank God.”

At 1’15” in the interview there’s testimony from someone who helped with the rescue operation: “When the raid happened we ran over here. We found the kids and women here under the rubble. The house had collapsed completely there was nothing left of it and they were all underneath. We pulled the kids out and ran over to the car. The mother then came over looking for her daughter. She had lost her young daughter so we went and looked for her and found her under the rubble and took her then to hospital”.

Elnashra’s correspondent in Syria reported that “the Syrian air force intensified its targeting since the morning [of May 1st] on the sites of the terrorist organization of al Nusra Front with dozens of raids in the town of Mashirfa in the countryside of the province of Idlib West and in the vicinity of the village of Ma’arshourin in the southern countryside”. But this source made no claims of civilian harm from these regime strikes.

 

The incident occured in the morning.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–5
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • 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 (22) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (21) [ collapse]

  • Destruction in the village of Al Mushayrifah, allegedly caused by a rocket-propelled grenade on May 1st (via Syrian Civil Defense).
  • An injured child following an alleged Russian airstrike on Mushayrifah, May 1st (via Orient)
  • The aftermath of an alleged Russian airstrike on Mushayrifah, May 1st (via Orient)
  • The aftermath of an alleged Russian airstrike on Mushayrifah, May 1st (via Orient)
  • A wounded civilian is carried to safety by a member of the White Helmets following an alleged Russia airstrike on Mushayrifah, May 1st 2019 (via Alsouria)
  • The aftermath of shelling on Mushayrifah, May 1st (via White Helmets)
  • The aftermath of shelling on Mushayrifah, May 1st (via White Helmets)
  • The aftermath of shelling on Mushayrifah, May 1st (via White Helmets)
  • The aftermath of shelling on Mushayrifah, May 1st (via White Helmets)
  • The aftermath of shelling on Mushayrifah, May 1st (via White Helmets)
  • The aftermath of shelling on Mushayrifah, May 1st (via White Helmets)
  • The aftermath of shelling on Mushayrifah, May 1st (via White Helmets)
  • The aftermath of shelling on Mushayrifah, May 1st (via White Helmets)
  • The aftermath of shelling on Mushayrifah, May 1st (via White Helmets)
  • The aftermath of shelling on Mushayrifah, May 1st (via White Helmets)
  • The aftermath of shelling on Mushayrifah, May 1st (via White Helmets)
  • The aftermath of shelling on Mushayrifah, May 1st (via White Helmets)
  • The aftermath of shelling on Mushayrifah, May 1st (via White Helmets)
  • The aftermath of shelling on Mushayrifah, May 1st (via White Helmets)
  • "The effects of the destruction resulting from a Russian air raid on the village of Almashirfah in Jisr al-Shughour in Idlib"
  • "Russian occupation airliner targets the village of Mashirfa west of Idlib"

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–5
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • 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 (22) [ collapse]