Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS4452

Incident date

February 15, 2020

Location

بلدة السحارة,, Al Sahara Village, Aleppo, Syria

Airwars assessment

Four to five civilians died, including one girl, and one Syrian Civil Defence volunteer was wounded in an alleged Russian double airstrike on Al Sahara village, according to local media. The second strike happened as the volunteers were undergoing the rescue mission.

The White Helmets reported: “Four people were killed and a civil defense volunteer was injured by Russian airstrikes targeting the town of Sahara in the western countryside of Aleppo, on Saturday morning, February 15, 2020. Our team was targeted while recovering the victims and inspecting the place.”

The White Helmets later named the wounded volunteer as Mustafa al-Shilou, adding that he was injured  “as a result of a double air raid, which targeted the team while working to extract victims from the rubble in the town of Sahara”.

syria.liveuamap said that “others” were wounded in addition to the four civilians killed.

The Shaam News Network reported that “Russian warplanes launched intense and very violent air strikes, which were associated with heavy artillery and missile shelling targeting the vicinity of the city of Dara Azza”.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Adult male injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4 – 5
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military

Sources (29) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (5) [ collapse]

  • The aftermath of an alleged Russian airstrike on Al Sahara village, Feb 15th (via @ShahbaPress)
  • The aftermath of an alleged Russian airstrike on Al Sahara village, Feb 15th (via @ShahbaPress)
  • "Mustafa al-Shilou, a civil defense volunteer, was wounded today, Saturday 15 February 2020, as a result of a double air raid, which targeted the team while working to extract victims from the rubble in the town of Sahara in the western countryside of Aleppo" reported by the Syrian Civil Defence (Image via SCD / Twitter)
  • The area in Al-Sahara where the Syrian Civil Defense were working after an alleged Russian double airstrike killing four to five, and injuring a White Helmet volunteer during the rescue operation (Image via SCD / Twitter)
  • The area in Al-Sahara where the Syrian Civil Defense were working after an alleged Russian double airstrike killing four to five, and injuring a White Helmet volunteer during the rescue operation (Image via SCD / Twitter)

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4 – 5
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military

Sources (29) [ collapse]