Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS3825

Incident date

June 20, 2019

Location

المسطومة, Al Mastouma, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

As many as 14 civilians were reported killed in airstrikes on Al Mastouma, Idlib governorate, on June 20th, 2019, according to local sources. Up to nine civilians were reportedly wounded.

@SyrianCoalition reported “four martyrs, including three children and a woman, as a result of an airstrike by the Assad regime on the town of Al Mastouma in the western countryside of Idlib.”

@IdlibPlus, the Syrian Human Rights Committee (SHRC) and Ibrahim Bin Ali reported in total the names of 12 killed victims of the Al Bakri family and two others. Among the identified fatalities were four children and two women.

@alhariri58 tweeted: “The death toll from the town of Al Mastouma, south of Idlib, as a result of the airstrikes from the Russian enemy aircraft, has increased to six martyrs, most of them women and children.”

The Syrian Network for Human Rights wrote that the airstrikes killed “at least five civilians, including three children and their mother,” while Edlib Media Center and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights alleged the death of four children out of those killed. Meanwhile, Shaam News Network reported that the “shelling led to the killing of seven civilians.”

Smart News Agency initially stated that three had died in the attack, as well as reporting the injury of “nine others, in addition to the destruction of homes and property.”

@AleppoAMC reported that an unknown number of civilians had been wounded. Smart News Agency added that Syrian Civil Defence teams were at the scene to recover the bodies of victims.

Additionally, Edlib Media Center reported that “dozens of cattle” were killed in the strikes.

Some sources, such as @SyrianCoalition, reported the airstrikes were carried out by the Syrian regime, while others, among which @alhariri58, blamed Russian forces. Others, such as Shaam News Network, pointed to both Russia and the Syrian regime.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Adult female killed
Age unknown male killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    14
  • (4 children2 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–9
  • 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
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military
  • Suspected target
    Unknown

Sources (32) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (11) [ collapse]

  • Image Caption: "At least five civilians, including three children and their mother, were killed as Syrian regime warplanes fired missiles on north of al Mastouma village in Idlib governorate northern suburbs, on June 20th" (via Syrian Network for Human Rights)
  • Image caption translation: "Members of the civil defense transfer the body of one of the victims Thursday, June 20th, 2019, in the town of Al Mastouma near Idlib in the north of the country, following the air bombing of the Syrian regime forces killed three civilians, including a child and a woman and injured 9 others, in addition to the destruction of homes and property." (via Smart News)
  • A list of the names of those killed on June 20th (via Idlib Plus)
  • Caption translation: "The place where the war regime committed a terrible massacre in the town of Al Mastouma after it was targeted by rockets. The death toll rose to four children and a woman and the death of dozens of cattle." (via Edlib Media Center)
  • Caption translation: "The place where the war regime committed a terrible massacre in the town of Al Mastouma after it was targeted by rockets. The death toll rose to four children and a woman and the death of dozens of cattle." (via Edlib Media Center)
  • Translation: “Four martyrs, including three children and a woman, as a result of an airstrike by the Assad regime on the town of Al Mastouma in the western countryside of Idlib” (via @SyrianCoalition).
  • Syrian Civil Defence teams helping wounded civilians after alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on the town of Al Mastouma on June 20th, 2019 (via @SyrianCoalition).
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Translation: “Al Mastouma” (via @NagiNajjar).
  • Translation: “Civilian casualties as a result of air strikes on the town of Al-Mastouma in Idlib countryside | broadcast live” (via SyriaTV).
  • Translation: “Killed and wounded by the bombing of Assad militia warplanes on the town of Al Mastouma, south of Idlib” (via OrientTV).

Syrian Regime Assessment:

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

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    14
  • (4 children2 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–9
  • 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
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military
  • Suspected target
    Unknown

Sources (32) [ collapse]