Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS3644

Incident date

May 2, 2019

Location

كنصفرة, Kansafra, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

According to local sources, Russian “fixed-wing warplanes” struck what was described as a “bird shack” on the eastern outskirts of the town of Kansafra in Jabal al-Zawiya, south of Idlib, killing up to four members of the same family.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights described the location as a poultry farm that displaced persons were using as a shelter. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed that the incident took place after midnight, while the Local Coordination Committees of Syria and Halab Today TV placed the time of the incident at dawn.

ENN posted a video with an interview with a volunteer from the Syrian Civil Defense, who told the reported that the family was working at their chicken farm in Madjan where they were raising chickens, and that they were killed and the young girl injured when Russian shelling struck their place of work. According to the source, the shelling completely destroyed the house and killed all the young children.

According to Euphrates Post, a father, mother and their baby were killed in the attack while another child, their daughter, was wounded.

Step News reported that two children of the man and a woman were killed while a third daughter was wounded. The source claimed that the girl was wounded after four airstrikes with high-explosive missiles struck the shelter.

Syrian Civil Defense teams allegedly found the girl near the scene after “the explosion threw the girl for more than ten meters.”

Step News identified one of the victims as “Abdullah Abu Ali”, suspected to be the father. Additionally, the Syrian Network for Human Rights identified the two children who were killed.

A picture of the family that was posted by Euphrates Post showed three children, one of whom can be identified as the daughter who survived as she is the same girl from another picture that shows her after the attack, also posted by Euphrates Post. She was identified by the Syrian Civil Defense forces who rescued her.

However, @ajmubasher tweeted that “explosive barrels returned to kill children. A baby moaning from pain as she pulled her out of the rubble”, meaning that the regime can’t be ruled out.

The incident occured between 12:00 am and 6:00 am local time.

The victims were named as:

Family members (5)

Age unknown male killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3 – 4
  • (1–2 children1 woman1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • 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
  • Suspected target
    Unknown

Sources (35) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (12) [ collapse]

  • The family that was killed in an alleged Russian strike on the outskirts of Kansafra on May 1st (via Euphrates post).
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Girl wounded by an alleged Russian airstrike on Kansafra on May 1st (via Euphrates Pots).
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • Syrian Civil Defense forces at the scene after an alleged Russian airstrike struck an IDP shelter in the outskirts of Kansafra town in the night between May 1st and 2nd (via Syrian Observatory for Human Rights).
  • Syrian Civil Defense forces at the scene after an alleged Russian airstrike struck an IDP shelter in the outskirts of Kansafra town in the night between May 1st and 2nd (via Syrian Observatory for Human Rights).
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Children killed in strikes on Kansafra, May 2nd.
  • Video capturing the rescue of a baby who was wounded by an alleged Syrian or Russian strike struck Kansafra between May 2nd (via @ajmubashier). Translation: "Explosive barrels return to kill children. A baby moaning from pain as she pulled her out of the rubble."
  • Child killed by alleged Syrian regime or Russian strikes on Kansafra on May 2nd (via @Ahmadmuaffq).
  • Body of one of the victims of alleged Russian or Syrian strikes on Kansafra on May 2nd (via @Ahmadmuaffq).
  • Video showing an interview with a volunteer from the Syrian Civil Defense who tells the reporter that a family of four was killed and a young girl was injured when alleged Russian airstrikes struck their place of work in Madjana where they were raising chickens. The volunteer says the shelling completely destroyed the house and killed all the young children (via ENN).
  • Video showing the aftermath of alleged Russian shelling on a chicken farm in Kansafra on May 2nd (via ENN).
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Two children killed in Russian or Syrian regime attacks on Knsafra in Idlib on May 2nd, 2019. (via @mahmoodtalha22)

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
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3 – 4
  • (1–2 children1 woman1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • 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
  • Suspected target
    Unknown

Sources (35) [ collapse]