Incident Code

RS460

Location

الرقة‎, Ar Raqqah, Raqqa, Syria

Geolocation

35.949949, 39.007363
Accuracy: City

Airwars Assessment

Last Updated: December 15, 2024

(Previous Incident Code: R394)

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.

 

Victims

Invidivuals

Majd Aldendal
Child male named by Alnateq killed

Key Information

Country
Military Actor
Civilian Harm Reported
Yes
Civilian Harm Status
Contested
Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
Civilians reported killed
1–6
1 Child
Civilians reported injured
2

Geolocation Notes

Reports of the incident mention the city of Ar Raqqah (الرقة‎), for which the generic coordinates are: 35.949949, 39.007363. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Military Statements

Russian Military Assessment
Suspected belligerent
Russian Military
Russian Military position on incident
Not yet assessed
Russian Military Strike Report
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

Media From Sources (1)