In a major casualty incident, which UNICEF called “tragic, shocking, outrageous and a war crime”, 38 named civilians including 18 children and up to six women died in multiple airstrikes on the Martyr Kamal Qal’aji school complex in the village of Haas, which was under the joint control of Armed opposition factions and the Fateh Al Sham Front. Sources were conflicted as to whether this was the work of Russia or the Syrian regime, though all agreed that the village had suffered intensive bombing which lasted up to 20 minutes and included the use of parachutes carrying bombs/missiles. As well as destruction to three schools within the complex, nearly civilian homes were also hit.
Alaraby quoted a media activist in Idlib, Jaber Abu Mohammed, who said that “a Sukhoi-22 warplane dropped six umbrellas loaded with high-explosive rockets. Activists on social networking sites posted pictures of the dead. The photos showed children who had lost their lives covered by blood and dust. Some of them had lost one of their limbs, in addition there were textbooks and school bags scattered in the ground by shelling”.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights published a detailed report on the incident in which it blamed the Syrian regime for the death of 34 civilians of which 12 were children and five were women. A number of teachers were also among those killed.
The report noted that it had been “proven that the targeted areas are civil areas where no military centers or weapon warehouses for armed opposition factions or extremist Islamic groups were fond before or during the attack.”
According to SN4HR, “On Wednesday 26 October 2016, at approximately 10:52 two SU22 fixed-wing government forces warplanes targeted the southern neighborhood in Hass village where the Martyr Kamal Qal’aji school complex, which contains three schools, is located. One of the three schools is an elementary school while the other two are secondary schools. The bombing lasted for about 20 minutes during which the war-planes fired no less than nine missiles carried by parachutes”.
SNHR spoke to Mr. Sad Al Din Zidan, via Facebook, who helped in aiding the students and told us of what he saw. he gave the following testimony: “I was in Ma’aret Al No’man when the Free Syrian Army observatory announced that there are warplanes soaring in the sky of Jabal Al Zawiya. The warplanes carried out the first airstrike on Hass village. I headed there and when I arrived, the warplanes carried out two consecutive airstrikes. The sound of the bombing was terrifying and the missiles were dropped with parachutes. A few minutes later, a new airstrike was carried out and it was only 30 meters away from me. We laid on the ground and Dr. Yousef Al Tarraf, who was aiding the wounded, sustained a critical injury. I saw children’s dead bodies everywhere and scattered body parts were all over the place between the destroyed schools. I went down to one of the shelters and found more than 150 students and a number of teachers who managed to get to the basement and save their lives. However, tens others lost their lives after these airstrikes.”
SN4HR published a WhatsApp by “Tarraf, a local media activist”: I headed to the targeted location in the southern parts of the village near the school complex after the first missile was dropped. The place was filled with people running and screaming for their children. Eight airstrikes were carried out consecutively on the same area. A great number of children and people, who went there to aid the injured, were killed including one of my relatives.” “I saw a woman calling her son and looking for him between the dead bodies. She found his scattered body parts in one of the streets near his school. The missiles also resulted in huge destruction in the school buildings and the surrounding houses. The area is completely a civil area, there are just schools and residential houses and nothing that could be targeted, but the regime targets children as if they were terrorists. The regime is wiping off a whole generation.”
LCCSY also blamed the regime.
However, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and HNN attributed the event to Russia. The Observatory said that at least 37 people died including 15 students and four teachers at the school.
A report by HNN said that “Russian warplanes committed an appalling massacre in the afternoon [of October 26th] targeting a school in the town of Haas. Activists said the plane remained in the atmosphere of the town for several hours prior to the implementation of the raid on the school confirmed that the plane deliberately targeted the school. Those killed ranged from the ages of seven to 25”.
Qasioun was among several other sources that blamed Russia; it added that up to 50 people were wounded in the strikes.
Al Jazeera reported that “the United States, France and Turkey condemned the killing of 28 children in the bombing of the school in Idlib, accusing Russia of carrying it out”. It added: “For his part, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Aireault accused the Russians or the Syrian regime of involvement in the bombing of the town of Hass”.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights named 38 fatalities.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Ahmad Abdullah Al Sheikh Najib
Child
named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Mohammad Jamal Al Sheikh
Age unknown
male
named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Azzam Akram Qal’a Je
Age unknown
named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Mrs. Amoun Aboud Al Younes
Adult
female
teacher, named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Mrs. Jouriya Na’san Al Na’san
Adult
female
wife of Aref, teacher, named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Aref Jamil al Na’san
Adult
teacher, named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Mrs. Asmaa Mohammad Al Da’ief
Adult
female
teacher, named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Mrs. Jouriya Ahmad Al Qaddour
Adult
female
teacher, from Al Hammameyat, named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Bisan Khaled Al Gharib Al Farhat
Child
female
named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Bakkour Suliman Al Bakkour
Age unknown
named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Amjad Ibrahim Al Qaddour
Age unknown
named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Qasem Hasan Al Younes
Age unknown
named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Aya Ahmad Al Gharib Al Farhat
Child
female
named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Eman AbdulHalim Eidou
Child
female
named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Abdullah Osama Al A’ma
Age unknown
named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Fatima Mustafa Haj Suliman
Child
female
named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Mrs. Eman Ibrahim Al Qaddour
Adult
female
named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Abdullah Omar Al Najjar
Child
male
named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Abdullah Al Shawi
Age unknown
male
named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Ahmad Bakr Al Rahmoun
Child
from Kafr Nabbouda, named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Osama Al Sha’ban
Age unknown
named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Abdurrahman Ahmad Al Sha’ban
Child
female
named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
son of Abu Alaa Al Hamwi
Child
male
from Hama, named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Taymaa Mohammad Mamoud Al Salmou
Child
female
from Al Latamna, named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Jana Thafer Al A’raj
Child
female
named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Fatima Sameh Al Sheikh
Child
female
named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Hesham Khaled Al Shwarghi
Age unknown
from Ma’rshamsha, named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
wife of Aboud Haj Suliman
Adult
female
named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
son of Ahmad Mustafa Al Yahya Al Darra'
Child
male
named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Nour Jamil Qal’a Je
Child
female
named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Rinad Khaled Al Da’ief
Child
female
named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Rim Awad Al Shartah
Child
female
named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Badea Awad Al Shartah
Child
named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Umran Al Hamwi
Age unknown
from Hama, named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Abdullah Omar Al Najjar
Age unknown
named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Aisha Mahmoud Al Halabi
Child
female
named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Dr. Yousef Al Tarraf
Adult
male
named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Abdullah Mahmoud Osama Al A’ma
Child
male
named by The Syrian Network for Human Rights
killed
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention the Martyr Kamal Qal’aji school complex in the village of Haas (حاس). According to research conducted by SN4HR, the exact coordinates for this strike are: 35,615078, 36.597194. Cross referencing source material, we can confirm the accuracy of this location.
