Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS4295

Incident date

January 5, 2020

Location

أريحا, Ariha, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

In a major incident, 14 civilians including children and women were reported killed and between 23 and 30 injured in alleged Russian forces or Syrian regime forces airstrikes on the western neighborhood of Ariha city in Idlib, Syria on January 5th, 2020.

Macro Media Center (MMC) reported that airstrikes were launched by a SU-24 warplane with a full load of vacuum missiles.

Local sources said the airstrikes targeted civilian areas in the city attacking six civilian facilities including Khaled Bashir al Halabiyah School- known as al Muhdatheh School, al Hadidi Mosque- known as al Imam Malek Mosque-, Woman Centre of Zayzafon Charity Organization, Baraem al Islam Kindergarten, al Muslim al Saghir Kindergarten and an institute of Muslim Care Organization.

The Syrian Civil Defense (SCD) reported that the airstrikes also targeted IDPs on the outskirts of the International Highway (Aleppo- Lattakia road) causing casualties. Ariha Facebook Page mentioned that two of the victims are students at the Technical Institute for Media at the University of Idlib, and they died while they were on their way to their homes in Jabal Al-Zawiya.

Initial local repots listed five killed and twenty wounded from air strikes carried out by pro-Assad forces. The air strikes specifically targeted homes and a kindergarten that increased the numbers to seven killed then ten. Alarby News reported that thirteen individuals were killed and thirty-two were killed as a school, a mosque, and homes were bombed. This reported followed a report from Horriya News that listed thirteen killed and twenty wounded. The dead were identified as the following: Najeeb Bezmawi (17 years old), Abd al-Mu’in al-Mustafa (75 years old), Mohammed Abdel Moeen Al-Mustafa (41 years old), Fatima Al-Mustafa (3 years), Hamdo Al-Mustafa (55 years old), Mustafa Ahmed Al-Mustafa (41 years old), Lina Mustafa Al Mustafa (18 years old), Mohamed Madi (age unknown), Mustafa Krum (age unknown), Ahmed Adnan Ajjan (30 years old), Adnan Ahmed Ajjan (12 years old), Abdullah Yasser Al-Bayor (Child), Abdul-Jabbar Muhammad Al-Othman (27 years old).

The wounded were identified as the following: Muhammad Ahmed Al-Mustafa, Jawad Eido, Jalal Al-Hamd, Mohammed Alloush, Mahmoud Habbush, Yasser Pure, Gena Turkmani, Abdullah Saado, Maher Habbush, Fatima Habbush, Adeeb Al-Dabal, Sobhi Rahmoun, Fatima Ghonimi, Abdullah Badawi, Khadija Sham, Sham Al Dabal, Mohamed Sobhi Halloum, Majd Al-Hussein, Ranim Saraqibi, Muhammad Rostom, Ahmed Al-Hassan, Maryam Al-Khidr, Burnata Al Azim.

According to list of names documented by local sources, eight of those killed belong to the same family. Victims include at least three children, one woman and three unidentified bodies and those injured include at least eight women.

The death toll is expected to rise as many of those injured remain in critical conditions.

According to Human Rights Watch report in October 2020, “at about 1 p.m., six rockets struck al-Naqib neighborhood in Ariha. One hit next to al-Hadid mosque, another hit the top story of a four-story building that housed the Muslim Care preschool on the ground floor, and two others hit residential buildings next to two schools – Khaled Bashir Halabieh and Omar Bin Abdul Aziz (also known as Muhadatheh) – which teachers had evacuated minutes earlier. The other two rockets struck just off the M4 highway. The strikes killed a total 13 civilians, wounded another 25, and destroyed four residential buildings, including the one that housed the preschool.”

While Justice Organization blamed solely Russia for this incident, most of sources blamed the Syrian regime like @SyriaCoalition, Macro Media Center, Ariha Today, Syrian Network for Human Rights and Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. From their side, Syrian Civil Defense, Step News, Shaam News and @SyrianCoaltion blamed Russia and the regime, with @SyrianCoaltion stating that the attack was done by the regime with Russian and Iranian support.

The incident occured in the morning.

The victims were named as:

17 years old male killed
Adult female elderly woman injured
Age unknown male injured
Age unknown male injured
Age unknown male injured
Age unknown female injured
Age unknown male injured
Age unknown male injured
Age unknown male injured
Age unknown female injured
Age unknown male injured
Age unknown female injured
Age unknown female injured
Age unknown male injured
Age unknown female injured
Age unknown male injured
Age unknown male injured
Age unknown female injured
Adult male student at the the Technical Institute for Media at the University of Idlib killed
Adult male student at the the Technical Institute for Media at the University of Idlib killed
Abdullah Yaser al Bayyour عبد الله ياسر البيور
Child male from the village of Kfarrouma killed
Muhammad Ahmed Al-Mustafa
Age unknown injured
Jawad Eido
Age unknown injured
Jalal Al-Hamd
Age unknown injured
Mohammed Alloush
Age unknown injured
Yasser Pure
Age unknown injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    School
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    14
  • (3–8 children1–2 women5–8 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    23–30
  • 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
  • Suspected targets
    Assad regime, Unknown

Sources (42) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (25) [ collapse]

  • Aftermath of alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrike on the city of Ariha on January 5th, 2020 (via @SyrianCoalition).
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Footage made by a Syrian Civil Defence volunteer of the aftermath of the alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrike on Ariha on January 5th, 2020 (via @SyriaCivilDefe).
  • Aftermath of alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrike on the city of Ariha on January 5th, 2020 (via MMC).
  • Aftermath of alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrike on the city of Ariha on January 5th, 2020 (via MMC).
  • Aftermath of alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrike on the city of Ariha on January 5th, 2020 (via MMC).
  • Aftermath of alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrike on the city of Ariha on January 5th, 2020 (via MMC).
  • Aftermath of alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrike on the city of Ariha on January 5th, 2020 (via MMC).
  • Aftermath of alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrike on the city of Ariha on January 5th, 2020 (via MMC).
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Aftermath of alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrike on the city of Ariha on January 5th, 2020 (via SCD Idlib).
  • Aftermath of alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrike on the city of Ariha on January 5th, 2020 (via SCD Idlib).
  • Aftermath of alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrike on the city of Ariha on January 5th, 2020 (via SCD Idlib).
  • Aftermath of alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrike on the city of Ariha on January 5th, 2020 (via SCD Idlib).
  • Aftermath of alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrike on the city of Ariha on January 5th, 2020 (via Ariha Today).
  • Muhammad Al Madi and Mustafa Krom, students at the Technical Institute for Media at the University of Idlib, were killed in alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrike on the city of Ariha on January 5th, 2020, when they were on their way to their home in Jabal Al- Zawiya (via Ariha Today).
  • Aftermath of alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrike on the city of Ariha on January 5th, 2020 (via Ariha Today).
  • SCD volunteer broke into tears as she carried body of a child killed in the airstrikes on Ariha in Idlib on January 5th 2020 (via SCD).
  • Satellite imagery from February 3, 2020. © 2020 Maxar Technologies. Source: EUSI. Bottom left image: © 2020 Orient News. Bottom right image: © 2020 Arab 24 News Agency. (via HRW)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • White Helmets sort through rubble following strikes on Afrin on January 5, 2020. (Image posted by Al Quds News)
  • *The documented martyrs and injured in #Ariha until this moment:* -1- *Naguib Bezmawi* -2- *Mohamed Abdel-Ghani Al-Mustafa* 3 * Daughter of Abdul Hamid Al Mustafa * -4- *Ahmed Adnan Ajjan* -5- *Adnan Ahmed Ajjan* -6- *Hamdo Al-Mustafa* -7-8-9- *unidentified corpses* *injured* 1- *Muhammad Ahmed Al-Mustafa* 2- *bone marrow* is elderly 3- *Jawad Eido* 4- Jalal Al-Hamd 5- *Mohammed Alloush* 6- *Mahmoud Habbush* 7- *Yasser Pure* 8- * Gena Turkmani * 9- *Abdullah Saado* 10- *Maher Habbush* 11- *Fatima Habbush* 12- *Adeeb Al-Dabal* 13- Sobhi Rahmoun 14- *Fatima Ghonimi* 15- *Abdullah Badawi* 16- *Khadija Sham* 17- *Sham Al Dabal* 18- *Mohamed Sobhi Halloum* 19- *Majd Al-Hussein* 20- *Ranim Saraqibi* 21- *Muhammad Rostom* 22- *Ahmed Al-Hassan* 23- *Maryam Al-Khidr* C
  • Damage caused by strikes on Afrin on January 5, 2020. (Image posted by Walk.in.ariha via Facebook)

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 infrastructure
    School
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    14
  • (3–8 children1–2 women5–8 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    23–30
  • 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
  • Suspected targets
    Assad regime, Unknown

Sources (42) [ collapse]