Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS4273

Incident date

December 19, 2019

Location

معرة النعمان, Ma’aret Al Nu’man, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

At least two children, two women and one man were reportedly killed, and up to 30 other civilians injured in alleged Russian or Syrian regime forces artillery or airstrikes on Ma’arat Al Nu’man in Idlib in the evening of December 19th, 2019, according to local sources. Two other civilians reportedly died from their injuries caused by the attack on the following day.

The victims have been identified by a number of sources as Ghada Haitham Al-Khumra, who judged on the basis of the photos is not older than one year, her mother Saba Al-Khumra and her father Haitham Mohsen Al-Khumra, alongside the girl’s aunt Ghada Ammar Al-Khumra. Another victim was identified as the orphaned girl Shahed Al Madi, reportedly under 10 years, and Abdullah Al-Homsi Al-Sabha. A day after the incident, local sources reported that two of the injured victims, Basma Al-Khadija and Muhammad Ibn Raif Ramadan, died from their injuries as well.

While most sources, including the Syrian Civil Defense, reported the death of the six civilians mentioned above, @ajmurgent claimed that only five civilians had been killed. Syrianoor reported that eight civilians had been killed, including three children and two women.

According to @aboalhodaalhoms, the attack wounded dozens. Facebook user Habibity ma`arat Alnu`man listed 26 injured civilians including their names. According to Zaman Al-Wasl, the number of injured civilians mounted to up to 30 instead, including 11 women and five children.

The Al-Khumra family died as their house was hit by an alleged Syrian regime surface-to-surface missiles according to a number of sources. Almaaralover reported that “they were pulled out from under the rubble after a heavy bombardment of their house”.

It is unclear whether the attack consisted of artillery and/or airstrikes. According to LCCSy, regime forces stationed in the Khan Sheikhoun area started shelling the town at 18:26. Syrianoor claimed instead that warplanes and helicopters targeted the town with missiles and barrel bombs. Zaman Al-Wasl reported that the belligerents attacked “with more than 170 missiles of different types, including the Russian “Smerch” loaded with cluster bombs”.

@BeyazEllerSYR wrote: “The martyr orphan Shahed Al Madi is a girl under the age of ten who lost her father five years ago. Shahed, the orphan, the martyr, was today a victim of the barrels of hatred in the city of Maarat al-Numan. Shahd was part of the White Hands Association program to sponsor orphans, and today she has risen to her Lord to tell him the whole story.”

The incident occured at 18:26:00 local time.

The victims were named as:

Family members (4)

Haitham Al Khamra هيثم الخمرة
Adult male killed
Ghada Haitham Al Khamra غادة هيثم الخمرة
Child female killed
Saba Al Khamra صبا الخمرة
Adult female wife of Haitham killed
Ghada Ammar Al Khamra غادة عمار الخمرة
Age unknown female killed

Family members (2)

Latuff Al-Halabi لطوف الحلبي
Age unknown male injured
Mahmoud Al-Halabi محمود الحلبي
Age unknown male injured

Family members (2)

Basma Al-Khadija سمة الخديجة
Age unknown female Died of her injuries a day later killed
Omar Al-Khadija عمر الخديجة
Age unknown male injured

Family members (3)

Mohammed Al Naous محمد النعوس
Age unknown male injured
Nora Al Naous نورة النعوس
Age unknown female injured
Zohoor Al Naous زهور النعوس
Age unknown female injured

Family members (2)

Mohamed Maatramawy محمد معترماوي
Age unknown male injured
Saleh Maatramawy صالح معترماوي
Age unknown injured

Family members (4)

Abdul Qader Tohme عبد القادر طعمة
16 years old male injured
Reem Tohme ريم طعمة
10 years old female injured
Khaled Tohme خالد طعمة
20 years old male injured
Khoulood Tohme خلود الطعمة
Age unknown male injured

Family members (3)

Nasr Mahlool نصر محلول
Age unknown male injured
Zahra Mahlool زهرة محلول
Age unknown female injured
Hajar Mahlool هاجر محلول
Age unknown female injured

Family members (5)

Absi Qaziz عبسي قزيز
male injured
Rana Qaziz رنا قزيز
female injured
Esraa Qaziz اسراء قزيز
male injured
Mahmoud Qaziz محمود قزيز
Age unknown male injured
Halima Qaziz حليمة قزيز
Age unknown female injured

The victims were named as:

Muhammad Gharib محمد غريب
3 years old male injured
Zahra Shabib زهرة شبيب
Age unknown female injured
Mazen Rahoum مازن رحوم
Age unknown male injured
Muhammad Ibn Raif Ramadan محمد ابن رائيف رمضان
Age unknown male Died of his injuries a day later killed
Abdullah Al-Homsi عبد الله الحمصي
Adult male killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5 – 8
  • (2–3 children2 women1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    26–30
  • 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

Sources (37) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (6) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Ghada Al Khamra was killed along with her father, mother and aunt in alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on Ma'arat Al Numan on December 19th, 2019 (via @IdlibPlus).
  • A Syrian Civil Defense volunteer carrying a victim in the aftermath of alleged Russian or Syrian regime forces airstrikes on Ma'arat Al Nu'man in Idlib on December 19th, 2019 (via @ala_hacioglu)
  • Syrian Civil Defense volunteers recovering a corpse from the rubble in the aftermath of alleged Russian or Syrian regime forces airstrikes on Ma'arat Al Nu'man in Idlib on December 19th, 2019 (via Syrian Civil Defense)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    The young girl Shahed Al Madi, one of the victims of the alleged Russian or Syrian regime forces airstrikes on Ma'arat Al Nu'man in Idlib on December 19th, 2019 (via @syrian191124)
  • The young girl Shahed Al Madi, one of the victims of the alleged Russian or Syrian regime forces airstrikes on Ma'arat Al Nu'man in Idlib on December 19th, 2019 (via @BeyazEllerSYR)

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 – 8
  • (2–3 children2 women1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    26–30
  • 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

Sources (37) [ collapse]