Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS585

Incident date

February 9, 2016

Location

الشميطية, Shmaitieh, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Geolocation

35.4713655, 39.9352598 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

One child was killed and three other civilians injured in airstrikes on Shmaitieh, according to local sources – though they are conflicted as to whether this was the work of Russia or the Assad regime.

Both the Violations Documentation Center and the Syrian Network for Human Rights named a nine-year-old victim as Mohammad Abdul Kareem al-Jadia.

Baladi, LCCSY and Qasioun all reported that one child was killed bin a Russian strike. The citizen journalist Mohamad Hassan also blamed Russia for Mohammad’s death and reported that three other civilians were wounded.

However, while the VDC and Deir Ezzor is Being Slaughtered Silently said this was a Russian incident, SN4HR blamed regime missiles.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

9 years old male Named by VDC killed

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Shmaitieh (الشميطية), for which the generic coordinates are: 35.4713655, 39.9352598. 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
    1
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • 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 (8) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • The martyrdom of Mohammed Abdulkarim El-Jad’ou, 9 years, and three civilians were wounded by shelling of Russian air aggression on Al Shmaytiyah Deir Ezzor western countryside

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

Russian Military

From February 4th – February 11th, Russia reported: “In the course of the last week, February 4-11, aircraft of the Russian aviation group in the Syrian Arab Republic have performed 510 combat sorties engaging 1,888 terrorists’ objects in the provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama, Deir ez-Zor, Daraa, Homs, Hasakah and Raqqah.”

Syrian Regime Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • 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 (8) [ collapse]