Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

R4558

Incident date

September 24, 2023

Location

كنصفرة, Kansafra, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

At least one civilian was seriously injured in the village of Kansafra as a result of artillery shelling allegedly by the Russian Military and/or Syrian regime forces on September 24, 2023.

According to Syrian Civil Defense, a farmer was seriously injured by the strikes while he was working in the fig harvest. Additionally, the Civil Defense team mobilized him in an ambulance to the nearest hospital.

Sources were conflicted as to who was responsible for the shelling, with some sources attributing the bombardment to the Syrian regime forces while others blamed the Russian military forces. @syr_television added that both heavy artillery and missiles were part of the attack on Kansafra.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (12) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Syrian Regime Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (12) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4557

Incident date

September 23, 2023

Location

سرمين, Outskirts of Sarmin, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

During the evening of September 23, 2023, a missile strike killed two civilians (one elderly man and one woman) and injured two others (a child in critical condition and a man) in a displacement camp in the outskirts of Sarmin, east of the city of Idlib in northwest Syria. In a Facebook post by the Syrian Civil Defense, the nephew of one of the victims confirmed the identity of the two killed and the two injured: Muhammad al-Qahit, who was “nearly 100 years old” (with some sources saying 90 years old), and his granddaughter Hanan were killed. The two injured are identified in the same post as Muhammad’s grandson Hussein al-Qahit and great-grandson Zaid. The ages of Hanan, Hussein and Zaid are unknown.

The belligerent’s identity is contested. Most sources attributed the strike to the Russian military and/or to the Syrian regime forces. One source designated “Iranian occupiers” and another one Syrian militias loyal to the regime as perpetrators of the deadly attack.

As a result of the missile strike, parts of the camp caught fire. Muhammad al-Qahit’s nephew, who survived, described the attack as “a very harsh night for us, between death, wounds, fires, and screams.”

A video posted on Twitter/X by AlJazeera Arabic shows the intervention of the Syrian Civil Defence after the bombing, where tents and other parts of the camp on fire are visible. The organisation then tweeted that they were able to treat the injured, recover the bodies of the two victims and extinguish fire in the camp. Images posted by @ShaamNetwork and other local sources show destruction to the camp, including the tents of displaced persons.

In the Syrian Civil Defence Facebook post, Muhammad’s nephew Muhammad Al-Hamad Al-Qahit who survived the attack said: “I lost him and I lost the sessions that used to bring us together and the stories that he told us.” He added that his uncle had “great hopes that we would return to our village” of Abu Maru, a neighbouring village of Hama (west-central Syria).

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (4)

Muhammad al-Qahit محمد القحيط
90 years old male killed
Hussein Al-Qahit حسين القحيط
Adult male injured
Hanan
female killed
Zaid
Child male injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    IDP or refugee camp
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (1 woman1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (24) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (27) [ collapse]

  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @AZAM_1989
  • Source: @Mohammed78990
  • Source: @ShaamNetwork
  • Source: @ShaamNetwork
  • Source: @ShaamNetwork
  • Source: @ShaamNetwork
  • Source: @Freundlichkeitt

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @Freundlichkeitt
  • Source: SyriaCivilDefense
  • Source: SyriaCivilDefense
  • Source: SyriaCivilDefense
  • Source: SyriaCivilDefense
  • Source: Sermen.yo.hal99
  • Source: @HalabTodayTV

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Syrian Regime Assessment:

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

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    IDP or refugee camp
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (1 woman1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (24) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4559

Incident date

September 23, 2023

Location

سرمين, Sarmin, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

On the night of September 23, 2023, in Sarmin, Idlib, an incident with contested responsibility—reportedly either by Syrian regime forces or the Russian military—struck an agricultural area, injuring a civilian man, which was confirmed by multiple sources including the White Helmets organization.

The civilian injured was reportedly a farmer who was picking figs in a residential area, when the projectiles struck. The strike was attributed to have been from the Syrian regime or the Russian military. It is contested whether it was a rocket bombing, missile strike, or artillery shelling by different local news sources on Twitter. The White Helmets of the Syrian Civil Defense were photographed helping the injured civilian, and they reported his injuries as minor superficial injuries and followed up with him. However, @AsharqNewsSYR identified the farmer’s injuries as “serious”.

The incident occured during the night.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Binnish888

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Syrian Regime Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USSOM406

Incident date

September 23, 2023

Location

Villages of Balal-Dheer, El-Gambar, and Mililiqo, Gal-Gaduud region, central Somalia, Somalia

Airwars assessment

Local and official sources alleged that 27 al-Shabaab militants were killed by operations and airstrikes declared by the Somali military in the villages of Balal-Dheer, El-Gambar, and Mililiqo on September 22, 2023.

On Friday the 22nd of September, 2023, the Somali Ministry of Defense posted a statement on X / Twitter that “over 27 Khawarij militants were eliminated in a successful operation by the Somali National Army”. Yeni Safak News provided further details of the Ministry of Defense statement: that the operation had taken place in the villages of Balal-Dheer, El-Gambar, and Mililiqo where “three terrorist bases were targeted and destroyed, along with their vehicles and military equipment”. Also on the 22nd of September, Garowe Online News added context to the attacks, noting recent “intensified ops involving airstrikes in south and central Somalia”.

Osman Omar, an open-source intelligence investigator, posted on X / Twitter, on the 23rd of September, that the Somali Air Force had “successfully targeted and neutralized an Al-Shabaab convoy” in the Gal-Gaduud region after a tip-off was received by the Somali National Army from a nomadic resident regarding the presence of Al-Shabaab militants in the areas of Balal and God Shilin. Omar stated that “Somali Air Forces swiftly acted, eliminating both vehicles and dozens of Al-Shabaab fighters”. There have been no reports of civilian casualties connected to the strikes.

While no sources directly implicated the US in the operation, the Somali government’s reference to airstrikes has in the past indicated US involvement.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attackers
    Somali Military Forces, US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al-Shabaab
  • Belligerents reported killed
    27

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @Osman_estate

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @Osman_estate

Somali Military Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Somali Military Forces
  • Somali Military Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

US Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US Forces
  • US Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attackers
    Somali Military Forces, US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al-Shabaab
  • Belligerents reported killed
    27

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USSOM407

Incident date

September 23, 2023

Location

Elbur, Galgaduud province, central Somalia, Somalia

Airwars assessment

An unknown number of Al-Shabaab members, including top leaders, were reportedly killed by airstrikes allegedly carried out by the US and/or Somali military on Elbur in Galgaduud province on September 23, 2023. There have been no reports of civilian casualties connected to the strikes.

On the 23rd of September, 2023, the Somali Ministry of Defense posted a statement on X /Twitter that a “precision airstrike” had been conducted on a “meeting house” in the town of Elbur in the Galgaduud region. The statement went on to claim that the Somali National Army had killed key Al-Shabaab leaders including “their head of extortion and finance, Sahal.” Garowe Online stated that the individual killed, known only as ‘Sahal’, had been the group’s “finance and tax head,” while also attributing the strikes to the US military rather than the Somali military.

M.M.Dhoore, a former BBC journalist and the managing editor of SNTV (Somali National Television), London, released a post via X/Twitter on the evening of the 23rd of September stating that Somalia’s armed forces had conducted the airstrike using “recently acquired helicopters”. M.M. Dhoore’s post contained a photo of such aircraft.

Middle East Monitor News also reported on the attack, emphasizing the strategic significance of the town of Elbur and noting that it has been an Al-Shabaab stronghold for more than 15 years.

None of the sources gave a precise number of militants killed, with some referring to “several militants” killed while others reported “heavy casualties”.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attackers
    Somali Military Forces, US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al-Shabaab
  • Belligerents reported killed
    2

Sources (6) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @dhoorebbc

Somali Military Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Somali Military Forces
  • Somali Military Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

US Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US Forces
  • US Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attackers
    Somali Military Forces, US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al-Shabaab
  • Belligerents reported killed
    2

Sources (6) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USSOM408

Incident date

September 23, 2023

Location

Shabeelow village, Mudug, eastern Somalia, Somalia

Airwars assessment

More than 30 Al-Shabaab militants were killed in an airstrike declared by Somali forces on Shabeelow village, located in the Mudug region of central eastern Somalia on the 23rd of September 2023, according to the Somali Ministry of Defense.

Whilst an exact number of casualties was not given, the Ministry of Defense statement reported that the attack had been carried out against “Khawarij centers, resulting in heavy losses for the Khawarij. Over 30 neutralized, including leaders and militiamen”. Khawarij is the preferred term currently used by the Somali government to refer to Al-Shabaab militants. The statement added that the operation had dismantled key “gathering points” used by the militant group.

Middle East Monitor News, on the 24th of September, reported on the attack, noting that “the airstrike came hours after a suicide truck car bomb in the central town of Beledwayne killed more than 18 people and wounded 40 others”.

On the 23rd of September, independent journalist Zakeriye Axmed commented on X/Twitter regarding the statement released by the Somali Ministry of Defense, acknowledging that, other than the statement itself, there was “no independent confirmation” of the attack.

While no sources directly implicated the US in the operation, the Somali government’s reference to airstrikes has in the past indicated US involvement.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attackers
    Somali Military Forces, US Forces
  • Belligerents reported killed
    31

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Somali Military Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Somali Military Forces
  • Somali Military Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

US Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US Forces
  • US Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attackers
    Somali Military Forces, US Forces
  • Belligerents reported killed
    31

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USSOM405

Incident date

September 22, 2023

Location

Wajid District, southwestern region of Bakool, Somalia

Airwars assessment

The militant organization Al-Shabaab claimed that U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) had conducted an airstrike against the terrorist network on 22nd of September, 2023. The group alleged that the airstrike, carried out in the Wajid district of Bakool in southwestern Somalia, had reportedly killed eight civilians, including six children. However, the Somalia government declared their responsibility for the same strike which they reported had killed eight members of Al-Shabaab, including leader Isaaq Abdullahi.

On September 24th, freelance journalist Zakeriye Ahmed tweeted the full Al-Shabaab statement on the strike which stated that at 9:20am on the 22nd September, US airstrikes killed three generations of the Sheikh Ishaaq family near Buurdhuhunie, Bakool after bombing their homes outside of the village, and provided the identities of those killed: Jawaahir Sheikh Ishaaq Abdullah – 3 years old, Fathi Sheikh Ishaaq Abdullah – 4 years old, Asma Sheikh Ishaaq Abdullah – 5 years old, Hafsa Sheikh Ishaaq Abdullah – 7 years old, Wiilo Isaaq Ahmed (mother of the four children listed before), Fadumo Ibrahim (grandmother of the four children listed before), Juweyriyah Abdullah – 4 years old, Zaynab Abdi Abdullah – 14 years old. Based on their names, it seems possible that they could be related to the Al-Shabaab leader Isaaq Abdullahi who was reportedly killed in the attack. The statement also accused the US military of repeatedly using cluster munitions in residential areas. However, a senior U.S. defense official, speaking to VOA News correspondent Carla Babb, stated that no U.S. airstrikes were conducted in Somalia on the day in question.

Xinhua News, on the 22nd of September, reported that the Somali National Army (SNA) had stated that “its forces killed eight al-Shabaab terrorists including one of the group’s leaders in an airstrike in the southwestern region of Bakool”. The Xinhua report elaborated on claims made by the Somali Ministry of Defense that the airstrike had specifically targeted and killed Al-Shabaab leader Isaaq Abdullahi and his seven bodyguards “as they planned to carry out attacks in the area”.

On the same day, Garowe Online similarly reported on the Somali Ministry of Defense statement and on Abdullahi’s death: “the slain leader was in charge of terrorist activity in the province on the Ethiopia border, per the statement”.

Moreover, VOA journalist, Harun Maruf, posted online via X/Twitter regarding the airstrike, and referred to Abdullahi as the “Al-Shabaab figure leading militant operations in the Bakool region”.

As neither the Somali government nor any source found by Airwars commented on the civilian harm reported by the Al-Shebab statement following the strike, Airwars has ranged the number of civilians killed as eight. Similarly, as no source contested the number of Shebab militants killed reported by the Somali government – Airwars ranged it as between one and eight, due to the naming of one of the militants killed. Airwars will update its estimates once more information comes to light.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (8)

Jawaahir Sheikh Ishaaq Abdullah
3 years old killed
Fathi Sheikh Ishaaq Abdullah
4 years old killed
Asma Sheikh Ishaaq Abdullah
5 years old killed
Hafsa Sheikh Ishaaq Abdullah
7 years old killed
Wiilo Isaaq Ahmed
Adult female killed
Fadumo Ibrahim
Adult female killed
Juweyriyah Abdullah
4 years old killed
Zaynab Abdi Abdullah
14 years old killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    8
  • (6 children2 women)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attackers
    Somali Military Forces, US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al-Shabaab
  • Belligerents reported killed
    1–8

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @ZakeriyeAxmed

Somali Military Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Somali Military Forces
  • Somali Military Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

US Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US Forces
  • US Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    8
  • (6 children2 women)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attackers
    Somali Military Forces, US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al-Shabaab
  • Belligerents reported killed
    1–8

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4556

Incident date

September 19, 2023

Location

الفطيرة, Al Fatira, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

At least two farmers were injured during the afternoon of September 19, 2023, by an artillery strike allegedly from the Syrian regime and/or Russian forces in the town of Al-Fatira, in the south of Idlib. The @SyriaCivilDefe reported the farmers were injured while picking figs and received treatment in a hospital in the city of Idlib.

According to a correspondent from the Baladi News, the farmers were injured to varying degrees of seriousness from artillery shelling, reportedly from the Syrian Regime and the militias supporting it. However, @VedengAgency1 and @ralshhwan9 attributed the shelling to Russian forces, who reportedly launched more than 30 rockets and artillery shells at the town of Al-Fatira.

The incident occured in the afternoon.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (10) [ collapse]

Syrian Regime Assessment:

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

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (10) [ collapse]