Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

TS278

Incident date

March 16, 2018

Location

عفرين, Afrin hospital, Afrin, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.509672, 36.858106 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Exact location (via Airwars) level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Between nine and 16 civilians died in alleged Turkish airstrikes on Afrin hospital, according to local media.

Pesmerge chali put the death toll and nine, while Rumaf and other sources said that 16 civilians died – reportedly “mostly children and women”.

According to the source Aldar xelil: Avrin Hospital was the only medical facility in service. It has been hit by 3 missiles. 15 bodies have been identified, and many more are scattered all over the place.

The BBC reported on the event, quoting an Afrin resident, ‘Ranya’: “At night there were air strikes targeting Afrin hospital. There were a lot of victims there and due to the intensive shelling people cannot go to get the bodies. Some bodies are still there on the street.”

Turkey denied carrying out the strikes on the hospital. In response, the SDF issued a statement accusing “Turkish media [of] hiding the massacres the invading Turkish state has committed against the people”. ANF reported on the SDF press release, as follows:

“The Avrin Hospital was bombed by invading Turkish state fighter jets on March 16, 2018. Dozens of civilians were martyred and killed in the bombing, and the hospital where thousands of civilians receive treatment was greatly damaged.

After the bombing, the Turkish state’s official news agency the Anadolu Agency published a video that shows a building close to the hospital. With this footage they had published, the Turkish state wants to hide the fact that they bombed a hospital with fighter jets.

We declare to the public that the Avrin Hospital has been bombed by Turkish jet fighters and that the building in the footage the Turkish state had published is not the hospital building.

The bombing of the hospital has been documented with photographs and videos”.

Sana, the regime’s official media, put the death toll at 16 with “dozens” more injured.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    9 – 16
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (25) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (9) [ collapse]

  • An image reveals the destruction of the building that followed alleged Turkish airstrikes on Afrin hospital. (Source: SDF Press)
  • Another image reveals the destruction of the building that followed alleged Turkish airstrikes on Afrin hospital. (Source: SDF Press)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    A picture shows some injured civilians in the medical care followed Turkish airstrikes on Afrin hospital (Source: @AzadiRojava)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    A picture shows some injured civilians in the medical care followed Turkish airstrikes on Afrin hospital (Source: @AzadiRojava)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    An image shows many civilians dead bodies on the flour, killed followed Turkish airstrike on Afrin hospital, Afrin (Source: @AzadiRojava)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    A picture shows a man, killed followed Turkish airstrike on Afrin hospital, Afrin (Source: @AzadiRojava)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    A picture shows an injured child followed Turkish airstrikes on Afrin hospital (Source: @AzadiRojava)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    A video shows dead, and injured civilians followed the alleged Turkish airstrike on the Kurdish town of Afrin in northern Syria (sources : CNN)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    The hospital in the aftermath of the Turkish raid. (via Aylina Kilic)

Turkish Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    9 – 16
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (25) [ collapse]