Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS802 CS214

Incident date

May 19, 2016

Location

الحمرات, Al Hamrat (Ar Raqqah), Ar Raqqah, Syria

Geolocation

35.9505639, 39.0094148 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Five civilians (from the same family) including three children and one woman died in airstrikes on Al Hamrat according to local sources – though reports were confused with conflicting allegations that Russian, the regime or the Coalition had carried out the attacks.

Qasioun said a Russian fighter targeted residential neighborhoods in the village, resulting in deaths and injuries, though it did not provide casualty figures. And an Islamist activist, Hussein al Ahmad, tweeted that “Russian pig warplanes” had wounded “unarmed civilians”.

But Shaam News Network alleged that “aircraft belonging to the international Coalition” bombed Al Hamrat, leading to the death of the family of  “Abdul Al Hadi Hassan Al Abd al-Hadi Albouhbal, including children and women after their home was targeted with “several missiles“. Syria 24 also blamed the Coalition.

Other sources including Ennnabaladi, HNN News and LCCSY also said an entire family were killed, but did not identify the warplanes responsible.

Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently published several reports of the incident, but like other sources did not say who the aircraft belonged to. It also named the “Abdul Hadi Hassan family” as victims and added that several houses in the area had been destroyed.

However, speaking to Al Hall, Mohamed Salah, a RBSS spokesman, said that while there were “no confirmed reports on the identity of the planes responsible, it is likely they they belonged to the Coalition” given the accuracy of the targeting and the fact that Daesh had imposed a security cordon around the area following the bombing”.

RBSS also said that Coalition planes had dropped leaflets on the city stating “‘The time has come to leave al Raqqa’ in a letter addressed to the civilians asking them to leave the town.”

Jisr TV attributed the incident to the regime, putting the death toll at five – all members of the same family. A report by Al Jazeera was not clear on who was responsible, but implied that regime strikes elsewhere may have spread to Raqqa.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (1)

five members from the family of Abdul Al Hadi Hassan Al Abd al-Hadi Albouhbal

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • (3 children1 woman)
  • 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 attackers
    Unknown, Syrian Regime, US-led Coalition

Sources (28) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (6) [ collapse]

  • Translation: civilians dead and wounded following 4 raids by warplanes on the town of al Hamrat eastern Raqqa countryside.
  • Translation: an entire family killed after their home was targeted by warplanes in the town of al Hamrat in the eastern Raqqa countryside.
  • Translation: an entire family martyred following bombing by warplanes the area of al Hamrat int he eastern countryside.
  • civilians fleeing
  • Aftermath of the airstrike
  • Translation: #Al raqqa coalition planes throw leaflets over Raqqa says ‘The time has come to leave al Raqqa’ in a letter addressed to the civilians asking them to leave the town (via RBSS)

Unknown Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Unknown
  • Unknown position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

Unknown

Russia has not reported any strikes between May 1st – 31st

Syrian Regime Assessment:

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

US-led Coalition Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition
  • US-led Coalition position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

The Coalition noted no strikes near Raqqa for May 18th-19th 2016.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • (3 children1 woman)
  • 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 attackers
    Unknown, Syrian Regime, US-led Coalition

Sources (28) [ collapse]