Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS460

Incident date

January 25, 2016

Location

الرقة‎, Ar Raqqah, Syria

Geolocation

35.949949, 39.007363 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Between one and six civilians including a child died in airstrikes on Raqqa, according to local sources – though reports are conflicted as to whether Russia or the regime were responsible.

The Shaam News Network, reported that several non-combatants were killed and several more injured when warplanes “thought to be Russian” carried out airstrikes on areas within the city of Raqqah.

Activists told SNN that the raids targeted “Mu’awiya School and the Garage“.

Alnateq said that a child, Majd Aldendal was killed and his mother and father wounded when an air raid targeted their home near “the women’s union“. They did not say who carried out the strike.

Damascus Centre for Human Rights Studies – also blaming Russia – named Majd Aldendal as a victim, along with five other unidentified civilians.

According to Alaan TV, Russian warplanes targeted the “women’s union” building at 4pm, but a residential building was hit instead, leading to the death of three non-combatants. They added that there had also been raids on a garage and on “Train street“.

Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently did not say who was responsible.

However, Zaiton magazine attributed the incident to the regime warplanes, reporting that a whole family died  – naming the child Majd and four others.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Majd Aldendal
Child male named by Alnateq killed

Summary

  • Civilian infrastructure
    School
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 6
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • 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 (6) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Part of the popular market town which was ruined in the alleged Russian raid. (via, SHRC)

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

Russian Military

In its military report published on 1st February 2016, the Kremlin said: “In the course of the last week, the Russian aircraft in the Syrian Arab Republic have performed 468 combat sorties engaging 1354 terrorists’ infrastructural facilities in the Aleppo, Latakia, Hama, Homs, Damascus, Raqqah, Daraa and Deir ez-Zor provinces. Among them – 24 ones were carried out by Tu-22M3 long-range bombers from the Russian territory…Near Rijm al-Ammala (Raqqah province), a Su-34 bomber attacked a mini-oil refinery of terrorists. Objective monitoring data confirmed elimination of the object by a direct hit.”

Syrian Regime Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Syrian Regime
  • Syrian Regime position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian infrastructure
    School
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 6
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • 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 (6) [ collapse]