Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS3865

Incident date

July 2, 2019

Location

مدايا, Madaya, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

Seven to 30 people were reportedly killed in alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on the village of Madaya, Idlib governorate, on July 2nd, 2019, according to local sources. Sources are conflicted about the number of civilians among the victims.

While Step News Agency reported “news of a massacre of civilians in the town of Madaya, south of Idlib, after a raid carried out by Russian warplanes” – later citing seven dead – the same source also reported that “seven soldiers of the opposition forces died, and five others were wounded, when Russian airstrikes targeted their headquarters south of Idlib.”

@NagiNajjar tweeted that “the Russian occupation air force commits a massacre in the village of Madaya in the southern countryside of Idlib, which killed more than 20 martyrs and dozens of wounded.” According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, two civilians from the same family were killed in the attack.

@syrian191124 shared a video of the aftermath of the strikes, writing: “A horrific massacre committed by the Russian occupation planes in the village of Madaya in the southern countryside of Idlib with concussion bombs, which killed more than 16 martyrs until this moment.”

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Russian forces “targeted a military headquarters of Jaysh al-Nukhba of the National Liberation Front in Madaya village in the southern countryside of Idlib, which killed at least 15 members and injured 10 others, some of them were critically injured which may raise the death toll.” A later source, Step News, alleged that “the number of people killed as a result of the Russian attack on the headquarters of the Syrian Free Army rose to 30.”

@M25hLAkKS2ra6WD later tweeted that “the number of victims of the massacre in the town of Madaya in the southern countryside of Idlib, due to its bombing by the regime’s warplanes, has risen to 30.”

Meanwhile, Shahba Press tweeted that “dozens of civilians were killed and wounded by heavy air raids on the town of Madaya in rural Idlib.” According to Fresh Syria, the incident occured in the evening.

While most sources attributed the strikes to Russia, a few sources, including Fresh Syria, blamed the Syrian regime, whereas @anwaralnhar blamed both Russia and the Syrian regime.

The incident occured in the evening.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    7 – 30
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–24
  • 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 belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Suspected target
    Free Syrian Army
  • Belligerents reported killed
    7–30
  • Belligerents reported injured
    5–10

Sources (20) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]

  • Translation: “A horrific massacre committed by the Russian occupation planes in the village of Madaya in the southern countryside of Idlib with concussion bombs, which killed more than 16 martyrs until this moment” (via @syrian191124).
  • Translation: “#Idlib: A horrific massacre in the village of Madaya in the southern countryside of Idlib, which killed 16 martyrs as a preliminary result, and a number of civilians were wounded as a result of the targeting of the village with several air strikes with vacuum missiles by the Russian occupation forces and the Assad regime” (via @anwaralnhar).
  • Syrian Civil Defence volunteers recovering the body of a victim on the scene after alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on Madaya, July 2nd, 2019 (via @anwaralnhar).

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
    7 – 30
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–24
  • 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 belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Suspected target
    Free Syrian Army
  • Belligerents reported killed
    7–30
  • Belligerents reported injured
    5–10

Sources (20) [ collapse]