Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS489

Incident date

January 28, 2016

Location

كفر تخاريم, Kafr Takharim, Idlib, Syria

Geolocation

36.1168, 36.51522 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

15 civilians including two to three women and one to three children were killed and 20 others injured in alleged Russian airstrikes on Kafr Takharim, according to two local sources.

Activists told the Shaam News Network that more than 15 were killed and 20 wounded when Russian warplanes targeted a nearby mosque. They added that residential neighbourhoods were targeted and that members of the White Helmets worked to dig victims out from the rubble.

According to SNN, one of the victims was an unborn child killed in its mother’s womb: “Before he sees his mother, a glimmer of hope in the eye of her child who’s been in her womb for nine months, and before that his eyes opens to the dawn of life, which withheld its sun Russian treachery aircraft rays and marred its air smell of gunpowder and the sounds of shells and drums and various missiles forms and sizes died goodbye to meet his Lord.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also blamed Russia. They initially put the death toll at ten, but then reported that it had risen to at least 15, including at least three unidentified people, a woman and two of her daughters, two other citizen women and a boy under the age of 18.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Kafr Takharim (كفر تخاريم), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.1168, 36.51522. 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
    15
  • (1–3 children2–3 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    20
  • 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 (8) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    An injured child following an alleged Russian strike on Kafr Takharim, January 28th 2016. (via SNN)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    An inured child following an alleged Russian raid on Kafr Takharim, 28th January 2016. (via, SNN)

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 carrying out strikes in Idlib.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    15
  • (1–3 children2–3 women)
  • Civilians reported injured
    20
  • 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 (8) [ collapse]