Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS3734

Incident date

May 29, 2019

Location

سرجة, Sarja, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

At least seven civilians, including a child, were killed in alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on the town of Sarja, Idlib governorate, on May 29th, 2019, according to local sources. At least 10 others were reported injured.

The Syrian Civil Defence (@SyriaCiviDefe) wrote on Twitter that “seven civilians, including five women and a child, were killed and 10 others were wounded, as a result of targeting the centre of Sarja village in Idlib countryside, with an airstrike loaded with high explosive missiles this morning.” Justice Organization reported the names of seven killed victims and seven injured victims.

@IdlibPlus wrote that “a warplane launched with four missiles, fired at once, on civilian homes in the village of Sarja, south of Ariha.” The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights initially claimed that three women were killed by shelling on the village of Syrian regime warplanes.

Fayyad Mohammed Al Mahamid reported “the martyrdom of our beloved brother and dear friend Khadir Ali Al Shaheen and his nephew Ali Haitham Al Habab, one-year-old, and his mother Maryam Muhammad Al Shaheen and the wife of Haitham because of the raid” in the morning of May 29th. @fattumabdulfat1 reported that six of those killed – four women, a child and a man – were displaced from the town of Thataya in southern Idlib.

According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, “a child and five women, were killed as Syrian regime fixed-wing warplanes fired missiles on the residential neighbourhood in the middle of Sarja village”. Shaam News Network added that in addition to the child and five women, a man was killed as well.

Step News Agency was the only source that claimed eight civilians were killed in the attack and added that 10 civilians were wounded, while the Local Coordination Committee of Syria claimed that a total of 11 civilians were wounded. @alsoryaaaa reported “dozens of wounded”. Halab Today wrote that an unknown number of women and children were among the wounded.

@omaralabas1 tweeted that an entire building had collapsed over its residents.

While most sources blamed the Syrian regime for the airstrikes, some sources, such as Justice Organization and @Ahmadmuaffaq, pointed to Russian warplanes.

The incident occured in the morning.

The victims were named as:

Family members (2)

Hosni Al Hussein حسنى الحسين
Age unknown male killed
Amina Al Hussain أمينة الحسين
Age unknown female killed

Family members (7)

Maryam Muhammad Al Shaheen مريم محمد الشاهين
Adult female mother of Ali Haitham al Shaheen killed
Ali Haitham al Shaheen علي شاهين
1 years old male killed
Khadir Ali Habab/Al Shaheen خضر علي حباب
Adult male uncle of Ali Haitham al Shaheen killed
Maryam Ibrahim Al Shaheen مريم ابراهيم الشاهين
Age unknown female killed
Haitham Al Habab هيثم الحباب
Adult male father of Ali Haitham al Shaheen injured
Mujif Al Habab موجف الحباب
Age unknown male injured
Nuri Al Habab نوري الحباب
Age unknown male injured

Family members (2)

Jassem Al Abdullah خضر علي حباب
Age unknown male injured
Omar Al Abdullah مريم ابراهيم الشاهين
Age unknown male injured

Family members (2)

Abdul Rahman Al Qasim عبد الرحمن القاسم
Age unknown male injured
Israa Al Qasim. إسراء القاسم
Age unknown female injured

The victims were named as:

Amina Ahmed Haj Moussa أمينة احمد حاج موسى
Age unknown female killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    7 – 8
  • (1 child3–5 women2 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    10–24
  • 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 belligerents
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime
  • Suspected target
    Unknown

Sources (25) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (24) [ collapse]

  • The child Ali Haitham al Shahin was alleged killed in a Syrian regime airstrike on the middle of Sarja village in Idlib on May 29th (via Syrian Network for Human Rights).

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    Translation: “This is how the Russian occupation air forces diverted the people’s Iftar #Sarja in the Idlib countryside... God bless you” (via @Ahmadmuaffaq).

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    Syrian Civil Defence volunteers recovering the body of a child killed in alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on Sarja, May 29th (via @Ahmadmuaffaq).
  • Translation; “Seven civilians, including five women and a child, were killed and 10 others were wounded, as a result of targeting the center of Sarja village in Idlib countryside, with an air strike loaded with high explosive missiles this morning” (via @SyriaCiviDefe).
  • Syrian Civil Defence volunteers recovering a victim from underneath the rubble after alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on Sarja on May 29th (via @SyriaCiviDefe).

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    Translation; “Seven martyrs, including five women and a child, and 10 injuries, as a result of the terrorism of the Assad regime and Russia, with air strikes shortly before, on civilian homes in Sarja town in Idlib countryside” (via @SyrianCoalition).

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    Syrian Civil Defence volunteers recovering a victim from underneath the rubble after alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on Sarja on May 29th (via @SyrianCoalition).
  • Injured man in the aftermath of alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on Sarja on May 29th (via @SyrianCoalition).
  • Syrian Civil Defence volunteers recovering a victim from underneath the rubble after alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on Sarja on May 29th (via @SyrianCoalition).
  • Translation: “The first moments of the regime forces' warplanes targeting the town of Sarjeh, south of Idlib, with vacuum missiles” (via @MMCSYR2).
  • Syrian Civil Defence volunteers looking for victims in the aftermath of alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on Sarja on May 29th (via @IdlibPlus).
  • Translation: “Seven martyrs, most of them women, and 11 wounded, as a result of targeting #My Town_Sarja with a raid since the early morning hours today. Including 6 martyrs displaced from the town of #Thataya in southern Idlib countryside (4 women, 1 man and 1 child)” (via @fattumabdulfat1).
  • The aftermath of alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on Sarja on May 29th, 2019 (via @fattumabdulfat1).

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    Translation: “Civil Defense pulls a mother and her child from under the rubble in Sarja village, Idlib countryside” (via @aboalhodaalhoms).

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    Translation: “An airstrike from the warplane targeted the village of #Sarja town and the collapse of an entire building over its residents. The outcome of the raids of seven martyrs” (via @omaralabas1).
  • Translation: “A horrific massacre killed seven civilians, women and children, as a result of the warplane shelling on the town of Sarja. Dozens of civilians are still trapped under the rubble a while ago” (via @abdallateef2010).

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    Translation: “Seven martyrs, including five women and a child, and dozens of wounded, by the shelling of the warplanes of the terrorist Assad militia, on the town of Sarja, Jabal Al Zawiya” (via @alsoryaaaa).
  • Translation: “On the morning of Wednesday, Wednesday, May 29, day 24 of Ramadan, we were traumatised by the affliction of our family, relatives and children of our cousins, except for their great affliction, by the martyrdom of our beloved brother and dear friend Khadir Ali Al Shaheen and his nephew Ali Haitham Al Habab, one year old and his mother Maryam Muhammad Al Shaheen and the wife of Haitham because of the raid from brute warplanes in the village of Sarja” (via Fayyad Mohammed Al Mahamid).
  • Khadir Ali Al Shaheen was killed in alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on Sarja, May 29th, 2019 (via Fayyad Mohammed Al Mahamid).
  • Photo of Khadir Ali Al Shaheen, who was killed in alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on Sarja, May 29th, 2019 (via Fayyad Mohammed Al Mahamid).
  • Photo of Khadir Ali Al Shaheen with a friend. Al Shaheen was killed in alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on Sarja, May 29th, 2019 (via Fayyad Mohammed Al Mahamid).
  • Khadir Ali Al Shaheen (center) was killed in alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on Sarja, May 29th, 2019 (via Fayyad Mohammed Al Mahamid).
  • Khadir Ali Al Shaheen (left bottom) was killed in alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on Sarja, May 29th, 2019 (via Fayyad Mohammed Al Mahamid).

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
    7 – 8
  • (1 child3–5 women2 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    10–24
  • 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 belligerents
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime
  • Suspected target
    Unknown

Sources (25) [ collapse]