Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS609

Incident date

February 14, 2016

Location

الحراك, Herak, Daraa, Syria

Geolocation

32.7511, 36.3053 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Six civilians including two children and one woman were killed and several others injured in airstrikes on Herak – though reports are conflicted as to whether this was the work of Russia or the Assad regime.

The Shaam News Network reported that five non-combatants – mostly children – died when Russian warplanes launched missiles on the town. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also put the death toll at five. According to both Al Jisr TV and Syria Sky, five people from the same family were killed in a Russian strike.

However, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, regime warplanes killed five civilians from the same family including two children and a woman. And Al Jisr added that “a woman and others were wounded by artillery fire and explosive barrels from Regime forces“.

Five victims of Russian shelling were named by the Violations Documentation Center.

Daraa Martys named one further victim as Sayej Awdah Fayyad though didn’t say who the warplanes responsible belonged to. This may be the same victim as Sayeh Oudeh al-Rweidan, named as killed in an alleged Russian airstrike on Herak according to the Violations Documentation Center.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Adult male Listed by VDC killed
Adult male Listed by VDC killed
Adult female Listed by VDC killed
Child female Listed by VDC killed
Child female Listed by VDC killed
Adult male Listed by Daraa Martyrs killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6
  • (2 children1 woman3 men)
  • 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 belligerents
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (10) [ collapse]

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

Russian Military

From February 10th – February 16th, Russia reported: “On February 10-16, aircraft of the Russian aviation group in the Syrian Arab Republic have performed 444 combat sorties engaging 1593 terrorists’ objects in the provinces of Deir ez-Zor, Daraa, Homs, Hama, Latakia and Aleppo.”

Syrian Regime Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    6
  • (2 children1 woman3 men)
  • 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 belligerents
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (10) [ collapse]