Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS3947

Incident date

July 24, 2019

Location

أريحا, Ariha, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

Up to 19 civilians, including at least three children and two women, were killed in several air raids by alleged Russian and/or Syrian regime warplanes on July 24th, 2019, according to local sources. Up to 19 others were reported injured.

Syrian regime fixed-wing warplanes fired several missiles on a local market in the center of Ariha city in Idlib governorate southern suburbs, damaging several shops and market facilities

According to Ariha Today, the bombing started at 10 AM when MiG-23 warplanes targeted the eastern neighbourhood of the city with rocket-propelled grenades, killing a mother and her child and wounding three other civilians. The fatalities were identified as the 40-year-old woman Ikram Rostam and her 1-year-old son Muhammad Walid Hassan.

The source added that at noon, the Al Ain neighbourhood was struck and another three civilians were killed, in addition to ten wounded – of whom most were women and children.

The main market in the city was struck at 4:00 PM, when another six civilians were injured. In total, Ariha Today reported that 19 civilians were injured.

@SyriaCivilDefe tweeted: “A woman and her child were killed and four others were wounded, including a child, as a result of an airstrike targeting civilian homes next to a kindergarten and the popular market in the city of Ariha in Idlib countryside this morning, our teams were there with civilians and were able to rescue a young man from under the rubble of his house.” In another tweet, the Syrian Civil Defence reported that in addition to one killed child, nine children and three women had been wounded in the second strike on the city.

Smart News Agency placed the death toll at a total of 19 civilians, most of them children, who were killed and wounded by the shelling on Ariha. The source also reported that a woman and her child were killed in the first strike and four others were wounded – including a child. The source added that another aircraft launched a missile attack on the city, killing a child and wounding nine children and three women.

Two days after the incident, @SyrianCoalition reported that the girl Riham, who was seen on several photographs trying to save her little sister Rowan from the rubble of their collapsed house, died of her severe head injury. The source added that “Rowan and Dalia remain with their three sisters.” The girls’ mother Asma Naqih (35) was immediately killed in the strikes on the family’s home.

Sources are divided on whether the man looking in agony at Riham and Rowan was the girls’ father or the family’s neighbour.

A source in the city told Zaman Al Wasl that regime warplanes launched six raids on residential neighbourhoods, using high-explosive vacuum missiles and cluster missiles.

Sources blamed both Russia and the Syrian regime for the several strikes on Ariha on July 24th.

The incident occured between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm local time.

The victims were named as:

Family members (2)

Ikram Rustam إكرام محمد رستم
40 years old female killed
Mohammed Walid Hassan محمد وليد حسن
1 years old male son of Ikram Rustam killed

Family members (3)

Riham Majed Al Abdullah ريهام ماجد العبد الله
5 years old female died of head injury two days after the strike killed
Asma Naqih أسماء ناقوح
35 years old female mother of Riham and Rawan killed
Rawan Al Abdullah
3 years old female sister of Riham Majed Al Abdullah injured

The victims were named as:

Abdel Moneim Wael Qarabi عبد المنعم وائل قربي
2 months years old male abrasions in the cheeks, facial area injured
Abdul Jabbar Eid عبد الجبار عيد
Age unknown male injured
Omar Safwan Akhras عمر صفوان أخرس
18 years old male head injury injured
Saeed Mohammed Rihani سعيد محمد ريحانية
12 years old male killed
Abdul-Jabbar Deeb Bassas عبد الجبار ديب بصاص
48 years old male foot injury injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5 – 19
  • (3–5 children2 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    16–19
  • 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 (42) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (33) [ collapse]

  • Father trying to save his children after an alleged Syrian regime or Russian airstrike struck Ariha on July 24th (via Shaam News).
  • Father trying to save his children after an alleged Syrian regime or Russian airstrike struck Ariha on July 24th (via Shaam News).
  • Father trying to save his children after an alleged Syrian regime or Russian airstrike struck Ariha on July 24th (via Shaam News).
  • Syrian Civil Defense volunteer carrying a wounded girl after an alleged Russian or Syrian airstrike struck Ariha on July 24th (via @SyrianCoalition).
  • Several alleged Syrian regime missiles struck a market in Ariha on July 24th (via Syrian Network for Human Rights).
  • Syrian Civil Defense volunteers at the scene after a local market in Ariha was struck with alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on July 24th (via Edlib Media Center).
  • Several alleged Syrian regime missiles struck a market in Ariha on July 24th (via Edlib Media Center).
  • Several alleged Syrian regime missiles struck a market in Ariha on July 24th (via Edlib Media Center).
  • Several alleged Syrian regime missiles struck a market in Ariha on July 24th (via Edlib Media Center).
  • Several alleged Syrian regime missiles struck a market in Ariha on July 24th (via Edlib Media Center).
  • Riham died after trying to save her little sister Ruwan from the rubble of their collapsed house after it was struck by Syrian or Russian regime strikes on Ariha in Idlib on July 24th (via @SyrianCoalition).
  • Translation: “Shocking photos of a father trying to save his children, as a result of the Russian raids that struck the city of Ariha in Idlib countryside” (via @ShaamNews).
  • Translation: “The warplanes of the Assad regime target residential neighborhoods in the cities and towns of Ma'arat Al Numan, Ariha, Deir Al Sharqi and Khan Sheikhoun with several air strikes!” (via @HadiAlabdallah).
  • Translation: “Video of a father trying to save his young children after the house was hit by a Russian air strike in the city of Ariha in Idlib countryside” (via @AM_AHMAD90).
  • Translation: “Two civilians were killed and 6 others wounded by shelling by the Syrian regime to "de-escalate". The bombing hit the cities of Ariha, Ma'arat Al Nu'man, Khan Sheikhoun, and the villages of Deir Sunbul and Al Tamanah in Idlib countryside, Mourak city, and the villages of Al Sarmania, Lihaya and Al Hawij in Hama countryside” (via @aa_arabic).
  • Syrian Civil Defence volunteers helping an injured child after alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on the city of Ariha, Idlib governorate, on July 24th, 2019 (via @SyriaCivilDefe).
  • Syrian Civil Defence volunteers at the site after alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on the city of Ariha, Idlib governorate, on July 24th, 2019 (via @SyriaCivilDefe).
  • Syrian Civil Defence volunteers and civilians rescuing a man from underneath the rubble after alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on the city of Ariha, Idlib governorate, on July 24th, 2019 (via @SyriaCivilDefe).
  • Syrian Civil Defence volunteers at the site after alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on the city of Ariha, Idlib governorate, on July 24th, 2019 (via @SyriaCivilDefe).
  • Syrian Civil Defence volunteers and civilians rescuing a man from underneath the rubble after alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on the city of Ariha, Idlib governorate, on July 24th, 2019 (via @SyriaCivilDefe).
  • A Syrian Civil Defence volunteer holding an injured child after alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on the city of Ariha, Idlib governorate, on July 24th, 2019 (via Zaman Al Wasl).
  • Translation: “A child was killed and nine other children and three women were wounded, after two warplanes raids targeting civilian homes in the city of Ariha in Idlib countryside, noting that this is the second targeting of warplanes from the morning until this moment” (via @SyriaCivilDefe).
  • A Syrian Civil Defence volunteer running with an injured child in his arms after alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on Ariha, July 24th, 2019 (via @SyriaCivilDefe).
  • A Syrian Civil Defence volunteer holding an injured child in his arms after alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on Ariha, July 24th, 2019 (via @SyriaCivilDefe).
  • An injured man was rescued from underneath the rubble by Syrian Civil Defence volunteers and civilians after alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on Ariha on July 24th, 2019 (via Kevin Florian).
  • A civilian underneath the rubble after alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on Ariha on July 24th, 2019 (via Kevin Florian).
  • Syrian Civil Defence volunteers carrying an injured man after alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on Ariha on July 24th, 2019 (via Kevin Florian).
  • An injured man was rescued from underneath the rubble by Syrian Civil Defence volunteers and civilians after alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on Ariha on July 24th, 2019 (via Kevin Florian).
  • Damaged building after alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on the city of Ariha on July 24th, 2019 (via ArihaToday).
  • Civilians searching the rubble after alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on Ariha, July 24th, 2019 (via Justice Organisation).
  • A civilian searching the rubble after alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on Ariha, July 24th, 2019 (via Justice Organisation).
  • Translation: “The effects of the bombing of the city of Ariha in Idlib” (via Orient News).
  • Translation: “Killed and wounded in a raid by Assad militia warplanes on the city of Ariha, south of Idlib – Syria. Three civilians were killed and others were injured in an air strike targeting residential neighborhoods in the city of Ariha, south of Idlib, and our correspondent said that vacuum missiles targeted the city, which led to the destruction of civilian property” (via Orient News).

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
    5 – 19
  • (3–5 children2 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    16–19
  • 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 (42) [ collapse]