Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS4513

Incident date

July 14, 2020

Location

الدقماق, Al Dakmak, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

At least two civilians were reported injured during alleged Syrian and/or Russian artillery shelling and/or airstrikes on the towns of Al Dakmak in the Al-Ghab Plain, west of Hama on July 14th 2020.

The Syrian Civil Defence Forces of the Southern Directorate reported that two young men with injuries of varying degrees were rushed to the hospital by the SCD team to receive treatment after civilian homes were targeted with heavy artillery, while @AJA_Syria only mentioned that “civilian casualties” resulted from the artillery shelling. In a different post the SCD attributed the strike on Al Dakmak to Syrian forces.

However, sources were conflicted as to who was responsible for the strike. According to @HalabToday reporters “Artillery shelling from the regime forces’ positioned in Jorin camp targeted the village of [Al Dukmak] in the western Hama countryside”, thus corroborating the SCD’s statement. However, @Ebaa News and @Albukhari attributed the strike to Russian Armed Forces. In turn, @Step_Agency and @kwater4syr said that “Russian occupation warplanes bombard the town of Kafr Aweed in the southern countryside of Idlib in conjunction with artillery shelling from the positions of the regime’s militias in Jorin camp on the village of Duqmaq in the western countryside of Hama”, thereby leaving it contested whether Russian forces were involved in the strike on Al Dakmak.

The incident allegedly took place at night based on images from the White Helmets rescuing those injured. The exact local time of the incident is unknown.

The incident occured during the night.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–3
  • 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 attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (12) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (4) [ collapse]

  • Translation: "The injury of two civilians, with artillery shelling by the regime forces, last night, July 14, targeting the village of Al-Duqmaq, west of Hama, and this came hours after the killing of a civilian and his child and wounding 3 other children and a woman, by missile shelling of the regime in the city of Jericho, south of Idlib" (via Syrian Civil Defence).
  • Syrian Civil Defence volunteers treating wounded civilians in an ambulance after alleged Russian or Syrian regime shelling on the town of Al Dakmak, Idlib governorate, on July 14th, 2020 (via Syrian Civil Defence).
  • Syrian Civil Defence volunteers treating wounded civilians in an ambulance after alleged Russian or Syrian regime shelling on the town of Al Dakmak, Idlib governorate, on July 14th, 2020 (via Southern Directorate).
  • Syrian Civil Defence volunteers treating wounded civilians in an ambulance after alleged Russian or Syrian regime shelling on the town of Al Dakmak, Idlib governorate, on July 14th, 2020 (via Southern Directorate).

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
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–3
  • 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 attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (12) [ collapse]