Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS859

Incident date

June 6, 2016

Location

‏العشارة‬, Al Asharah, Deir Ezzor, Syria

Geolocation

34.92, 40.56 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Between 17 and 35 civilians including eight children and two women died and up to 40 others were injured in airstrikes on a popular market and a mosque in Al Asharah town and the Al Hannoush neighbourhood, according to multiple local sources – though reports were conflicted as to whether this was an attack by Russia or the Syrian regime.

LCCSY produced a number of brief reports, and said that the attack was carried out by warplanes thought to be Russian, putting the death toll at 22 civilians including women and children with dozens more wounded. It added that deaths included an entire family.

According to Deir Ezzor is Being Slaughtered Silently, Russian warplanes struck the town with cluster bombs. It put the death toll as high as 26 non-combatants and posted an image of a funeral two allegedly deceased men.

The Shaam News Network also attributed the incident to Russia and said that 23 civilians died.

According to Baladi, the death toll was as high as 35, including eight members of one family, with another 40 injured. It blamed planes belonging to “Assad and Putin” for raids on Mansour mosque.

Media activist “Alhaji Yahya” for News Now told Akhbaralan that “regime and Russian warplanes” struck a popular market with cluster bombs, killing – among others – “four brothers who were the sons of Hussein Al-hayawi and Dawood Al-Najah and his wife and their two children“.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights didn’t say who was responsible, referring to an “aerial bombardment” on a souq which killed 17 non-combatants including and man and his wife and two of their children.

Citing the Observatory, a BBC report put the death toll at 17 including eight children,

though there was some confusion as to which party was responsible with the report saying that the UK-based Observatory had said that “Syrian government and Russian warplanes were thought to have carried out the strike”.

But the Syrian Network for Human Rights said the regime was to blame, reporting that there were at least four victims including two children.

Some other sources said that it was not known whether the warplanes responsible belonged to Russia or Assad.

In a tweet by @Zenynapisajida the figure of those injured was put to 45, they alleged 13 killed including eight children from the same family.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Mohammad Ahmad al Salama
Age unknown male killed
Saher Awwad al Mohammad al Abd
Age unknown male killed

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the city of Al Asharah (‏العشارة‬), for which the generic coordinates are: 34.92, 40.56. 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
    17 – 35
  • (8 children2 women2 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    10–45
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected belligerents
    Unknown, Syrian Regime

Sources (42) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (5) [ collapse]

  • Civilians flee destruction following suspected Russian attacks on Al Ash arah ( via Alaraby)
  • The aftermath of a strike on a popular market in Al Asharah, June 5th (via Sawalif)
  • "More than 20 martyrs in Russian warplanes on Al-Asha’ara" (Youtube by Amer Howeidi)
  • "the funeral of one of the families that were killed in the cluster bombs which Russian planes fired yesterday morning" (via Deir Ezzor is being Slaughtered Silently Facebook - original page no longer available - image accessed via Airwars archive)
  • "a photo of the funeral of Mohammad Ahmad al Salama and Saher Awwad al Mohammad al Abd on Friday after they were hit by the Russian strike last Monday"(via Deir Ezzor is being Slaughtered Silently Facebook - original page no longer available - image accessed via Airwars archive)

Unknown Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

Unknown

Russia has not reported any strikes between June 1st – 31st 2016.

Syrian Regime Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    17 – 35
  • (8 children2 women2 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    10–45
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected belligerents
    Unknown, Syrian Regime

Sources (42) [ collapse]