Geolocation
Airwars assessment
Between six and 35 civilians were killed and up to 65 injured in an airstrike on Bab al Hawa, according to local sources – though reports are conflicted as to whether the raid was the work of Russian forces or the Assad regime.
The White Helmets reported that 30 non-combatants were killed and 65 injured when warplanes carried out consecutive strikes on Bab al Hawa, but they did not say who the planes belonged to. They added that un-exploded ballistic missiles were found in the areas and that members of their team were targeted by further planes while carrying out the rescue mission.
However, in a later video showing children being rescued from the rubble, they said that Russia carried out the strikes.
The Shaam News Network also blamed Russia, reporting that warplanes bombed old garages in the countryside of Idlib and the edges of camps for displaced people in Bab al Hawa. They added that six raids targeted civilian homes and public facilities in the area.
Activists told SNN that the shelling resulted in “a terrible massacre against civilians and children killing more than ten people and wounding more than 20.”
Graphic images were published by Ma’ara Now News showing the aftermath of an alleged Russian strike in “the square of Bab al Hawa“, which they said killed 10 civilians.
Smart also blamed Russia and published a video showing destruction caused by rais which they said killed 17 and injured 50 more. A witness told the agency: “The aircraft carried out two raids on the area, and then followed by two missiles, one ballistic and the other cluster.”
According to Orient News, 17 civilians died in eight Russian strikes – though at the time of filming the video they said they didn’t have a final count for the dead and injured.
Videos by Citizen Journalist also attributed the incident to Russia and depicted what they said were damaged civilian homes as the civil defence searched for survivors. They reported up to six Russian strikes.
Halab News put the death toll at 35, with 65 wounded in alleged Russian strikes.
Syrian News Desk reported: “The media opposition activist Alaa al-Din Muhammad told to ‘the Office of the Syria News’ that Russian warplanes carried out five raids on the old crossing point and yard at Bab Al-Hawa the outskirts of Sarmada city, killing 13 civilians and four members of the opposition factions, and injuring at least 30 others wounded, including women and children“.
The source added that the raids had also targeted two warehouses used to store materials, resulting in fires.
However, the Syrian Network for Human Rights said that aircraft of the Assad regime were responsible. They put the death toll at six.
Reporting on the aerial bombardment of Idlib, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the number of people killed in Bab al Hawa and Sarmada had risen to 28, including four children and a woman, in addition to an “Uzbek family and 22 rebels.”
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Summary
Sources (18) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (12) [ collapse]
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Members of the White Helmets search for survivors following a strike on Bab al Hawa, January 22nd 2016. (via White Helmets)
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Members of the White Helmets search for survivors following a strike on Bab al Hawa, January 22nd 2016. (via White Helmets)
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The aftermath of the alleged Russian and Syrian Regime raid. (via, SNN)
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The White Helmets rescuing people from the rubble. (via SNN)
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Minor damage to the outside of a shop. (via, SNN)
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Civilian housing damaged in the alleged Russian and Syrian Regime raid. (via, SNN)
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Russian Military Assessment:
Original strike reports
In its military report published on 25th January, the Kremlin said: “In the course of the last three days, January 22-24, aircraft of the Russian aviation group in the Syrian Arab Republic performed 169 combat sorties engaging 484 objects of terrorists’ infrastructure…crews of Tu-22M3 long-range bombers performed 18 combat sorties from the territory of the Russian Federation in order to engage manpower and hardware of the ISIS near Deir ez-Zor on January 22-24. Flight range reached more than 2,000 kilometers.“