Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS463

Incident date

January 26, 2016

Location

أريحا, Ariha, Idlib, Syria

Geolocation

35.81374, 36.60964 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Between eight and nine civilians including one woman were killed and nine others injured in airstrikes on a popular market in Ariha, according to local sources. While three of the sources blame Russia for the attack, a fourth (the Syrian Network for Human Rights) says that the Assad regime were responsible.

Activist told the Shaam News Network that Russian warplanes bombed the market vacuum missiles, killing eight including a woman. They added that nine others were wounded, including three children left in a critical condition.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also blamed Russia, putting the death toll at nine including one woman.

However, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, the missiles were fired by regime warplanes, damaging several shops in the market.

Eight victims were named by the Violations Documentation Centre including one Unidentified adult male.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Adult male killed
Adult male killed
Adult male killed
Adult male killed
Age unknown male killed
Adult male killed
Adult male killed
Adult female killed

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Ariha (أريحا), for which the generic coordinates are: 35.81374, 36.60964. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    8 – 9
  • (1 woman8 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    9
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected belligerents
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (6) [ collapse]

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,” but makes no mention of strikes in Idlib.

Syrian Regime Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    8 – 9
  • (1 woman8 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    9
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected belligerents
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (6) [ collapse]