Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

R4379

Incident date

August 23, 2021

Location

درعا البلد, Daraa Al Balad, Dara'a, Syria

Geolocation

32.607961, 36.099127 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

At least one civilian was killed and six other civilians were injured in alleged Russian or regime or Iranian strikes on Daraa Al Balad on August 23, 2021.

A tweet from @Almohrar1 reported that the young man Yazn Al-Omari was killed in the strikes on Daraa Al Balad.

@omar_alharir added that a number of civilians were wounded but did not provide how many, while Radio Al Kul wrote about “the injury of 6 civilians” from the incident.

Shaam News pointed out that there was no dedicated medial facility in Dara’a at the time – only facilities that had a limited amount of medical equipment and no doctors or surgeons.

Sources were conflicted as to who was responsible for the strikes. The majority attributed the attacks to Iran and/or the regime. However, Syrian Civil Defence blamed the strikes on Russia and the regime.

Horan Free Media and the Syrian Network for Human Rights identified rocket launchers as being used in the attack, while Shaam News pointed to both rocket and artillery bombardments. The location of the strikes was pinpointed to the Kashef neighborhood in the city of Daraa, according to Ahrar Houran Gathering.

Radio Al Kul reported that the bombardment coincided with a breakdown in ceasefire negotiations between the Daraa Central Committee, and ,regime and Russian forces.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Yazn Al-Omari يزن العمري
Age unknown male killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    6
  • 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
    Iranian Military, Syrian Regime, Russian Military
  • Suspected target
    Other

Sources (18) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]

  • The young man "Yazn Al-Omari", who was killed in strikes on Daraa Al Balad on August 23, 2021. (Image posted by @Almohrar1)
  • The young man Yazn Al-Omari was killed in strikes on Daraa Al Balad on August 23, 2021. (Image posted by @malikKhattab1)
  • Strikes on Daraa Al Balad on August 23, 2021. (Image posted by Syrian Civil Defense)

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention the neighborhood of Dara’a Al Balad (درعا البلد), for which the generic coordinates are: 32.607961, 36.099127. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further

  • Reports of the incident mention the neighborhood of Dara'a Al Balad (درعا البلد).

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

Iranian Military Assessment:

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

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 harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    6
  • 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
    Iranian Military, Syrian Regime, Russian Military
  • Suspected target
    Other

Sources (18) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TI066 YI001

Incident date

August 20, 2021

Location

بنكي, Banke village, Dohuk, Iraq

Geolocation

37.207778, 42.968611 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Two Iraqi tourists were killed in an alleged Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) IED or Turkish air or artillery strike near the village of Banke, Batifa sub-district on August 20th, 2021, according to local sources. Their bodies were missing until Kurdish and Iraqi security forces found them on August 22nd.

The security source told Shafaq News Agency, “Two tourists from Mosul entered, two days ago, the prohibited area in the village of Banka in Bativa district, affiliated to Zakho district, north of Dohuk,” noting that “a Turkish artillery shell fell near their car, leaving them dead.” The source added, “The two tourists are Ahmed Shukr, born in 1981, and Youssef Omar, born in 1995,” explaining that “the security forces in Zakho are trying to enter the prohibited area to evacuate the bodies of the tourists.”

Kurdistan 24 correspondent Islam Yousef said: “The bodies of the two men, who had been visiting from Iraq’s nearby province of Nineveh, were discovered still inside a car that sustained damage by the impact of what appears to be a roadside improvised explosive device (IED) in the village of Banke, located in the Batifa subdistrict outside Zakho.” The source quoted local authorities who said the men had been killed by a roadside bomb. The source also quoted anonymous local sources as saying the bomb had been planted by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Bas News reported: “Head of Batifa administration, Farhad Mahmoud, told BasNews that the two men visited Zakho countryside from Mosul on Friday when they were caught in the middle of a fierce conflict between the Turkish Army and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). He said the two men were hit in their personal vehicle in the vicinity of Banke village. “Investigations show that they were hit by a Turkish artillery fire,” he added. “We are now awaiting their conclusion of the forensic report before handing the bodies over to the families.”

The director of Batova district told Rudaw Media Network that “the Turkish bombing of the areas where PKK fighters are located, in the village of Bandro, of Batufa district, led to the killing of Iraqi tourists.” Rudaw reported: “The bodies of two tourists killed on Friday in Turkish artillery fire in northern Duhok province were retrieved by Iraqi border guards on Sunday afternoon and returned to their families. The two, Ahmed Shukir, 40, and Yousif Ammar, 26, are from Mosul had seemingly unknowingly entered a conflict zone when they visited the village of Bankie, in the Batifa sub-district where Turkish forces have clashed with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).” Rudaw quoted an unarmed eyewitness as saying the men had “died after an artillery shell hit their car”.

@BarzanSadiq posted a video alleging to show the moment the car was targeted and said “an IED blast planted by PKK killed the two Iraqi tourists”.

Medyanews quoted the Mesopotamia News Agency as saying “the two lost their lives when their vehicle was bombarded by a drone belonging to the TAF”.

The majority of the sources said the men had been killed by a Turkish artillery strike.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Ahmed Shukr
40 years old male killed
Youssef Omar
26 years old male killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (2 men)
  • 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
    Turkish Military, YPG
  • Suspected target
    Other

Sources (22) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (14) [ collapse]

  • An image of Yousif Omar, who was killed in an alleged Turkish artillery strike or Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) IED strike on the village of Banke, Batifa sub-district on August 20 th, 2021. (Image posted by Rudaw News)
  • An image of Ahmed Shukr Mahmoud, who was killed in an alleged Turkish artillery strike or Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) IED strike close to the village of Banke, Batifa sub-district on August 20th, 2021 (Image posted by Rudaw News)
  • An image of Yousif Omar, who was killed in an alleged Turkish artillery strike or Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) IED strike on the village of Banke, Batifa sub-district on August 20th, 2021. (Image posted by Kurdistan revolution in Arabic)
  • An image of the vehicle Ahmed Shukr Mahmoud and Yousif Omar were traveling in when they were killed in an alleged Turkish artillery strike or Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) IED strike while visiting Banke village, Batifa sub-district on August 20th, 2021. (Image posted by @BarzanSadiq)
  • An image of the vehicle Ahmed Shukr Mahmoud and Yousif Omar were traveling in when they were killed in an alleged Turkish artillery strike or Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) IED strike while visiting Banke village, Batifa sub-district on August 20th, 2021. (Image posted by @BarzanSadiq)

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    An image of the interior of the car the men were traveling in following the alleged Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) IED strike or Turkish air or artillery stike which killed them on August 20th, 2021. (Uploaded by Shafaq)

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    An image of the interior of the car the men were traveling in following the alleged Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) IED strike or Turkish air or artillery stike which killed them on August 20th, 2021. (Uploaded by Shafaq)
  • An image of the vehicle Ahmed Shukr Mahmoud and Yousif Omar were traveling in when they were killed in an alleged Turkish artillery strike or Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) IED strike while visiting Banke village, Batifa sub-district on August 20th, 2021. (Image posted by @BarzanSadiq)
  • The funeral for Yousif Omar, who was killed in an alleged Turkish artillery strike or Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) IED strike on the village of Banke, Batifa sub-district on August 20th, 2021. (Image posted by Naynawa Alghad)
  • Caption: “Emergency services are seen in the Zakho area of northern Dohuk, near to where two tourists from Mosul were killed in a Turkish bombardment on August 22, 2021.” (Uploaded by Rudaw)
  • An ambulance is seen waiting to collect the bodies of two men who were killed during an alleged Turkish artillery strike or Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) IED strike near the village of Banke, Batifa sub-district on August 20th, 2021. (Uploaded by Kurdistan 24)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Banke (بنكي), for which the generic coordinates are: 37.207778, 42.968611. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Turkish Military Assessment:

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

YPG Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (2 men)
  • 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
    Turkish Military, YPG
  • Suspected target
    Other

Sources (22) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4365

Incident date

August 7–8, 2021

Location

الزيادية, Al Ziyadiya, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

At least two civilians, including a woman, were injured in alleged Russian or regime strikes on Al Ziyadiya on August 7, 2021.

@OrientNews and other sources identified civilians as being injured but did not provide a number of how many.

Syrian Civil Defense posted that the strikes on Al Ziyadiya “resulted in the injury of a woman and a man”.

A tweet from @anasanas84 reported that “incendiary napalm” was used in the strikes and Syrian Network for Human Rights added that the strikes included “missile launcher with internationally prohibited weapons “Napalm”.

@IdlibPlus pointed out that the shelling occurred in the vicinity of a Turkish checkpoint.

The majority of sources attributed the strikes to the regime forces and @syr_television specifically identified regime sources “stationed in Jorin camp” as being responsible for the strikes. Syrian Civil Defense identified both the regime and Russia as carrying out bombings in the Idlib countryside but didn’t attribute this strike explicitly to either.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • 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
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime
  • Suspected target
    Other

Sources (8) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

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 harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • 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
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime
  • Suspected target
    Other

Sources (8) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4340

Incident date

July 12, 2021

Location

حميمات, Hmeimat, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

At least one civilian, a 10 year old girl, was killed and one or two of her siblings were injured in alleged Russian and/ or regime artillery or rocket strikes on the village of Hmeimat on July 12, 2021.

@IdlibPlus reported on “the death of a girl and the injury of two other children as a result of heavy artillery shelling by the regime forces based in or near Jorin camp on Hmeimat village”. A video published by the same outlet (see below) showed at least five apparent targets struck in the village.

The deceased victim was named by @spc_fr as Jamila Yasser Al-Jassem, who it said was killed during an attack on the Jorin camp within the village. OGN Arabic published a video of Jamila which it said had been taken just 24 hours before her death. @anasanas84 said that Jamila was ten years old, while local source Hadi Khraat said the two unnamed injured victims were also from the same family.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights reported one child killed and one injured in the attack, noting: “A girl, named as Jamileh Yaser al Jasem, was killed and her brother was injured when Syrian regime artillery forces fired shells on Hmaimat village in Sahl al Ghab in the western suburbs of Hama governorate on July 12, 2021. SNHR notes that this shelling is a breach of the ceasefire agreement reached following consultations between the Turkish and Russian presidents, which came into effect on March 6, 2020.”

The local White Helmets instead reported “that the bombing led to the killing of a girl and the injury of two girls from the same family,” according to Syria TV. Instead, Fresh Syria News said both siblings were brothers of Jamila.

The Anadolu Agency blamed the attack on regime forces, noting that two injured children were treated at a local hospital. According to Enab Baladi News, the attacks began at dawn: “At five in the morning, the Al-Ghab Plain witnessed artillery shelling that focused on the villages of Hemeimat, Qastoun, Qalidin, and Zaqqum, north of the Al-Ghab Plain, according to what Ammar Abu Al-Hassan, a worker at the Unified Observatory in northern Syria, told Enab Baladi. As a result, civilian homes were destroyed, especially in the village of Hmeimat, which received the largest share of the bombing. The source of the artillery bombardment was members of the regime forces located in the Jorin camp and the village of Al-Darabila, northwest of Hama governorate.”

The incident occured at approximately 5:00 am local time.

The victims were named as:

Family members (3)

Jamila Yasser Al-Jassem
10 years old female killed
Brother of Jamila
Child male Possibly female according to one source injured
Unnamed relative
Child female injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 child1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime
  • Suspected target
    Other

Sources (23) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (7) [ collapse]

  • A girl was killed and two girls, all from the same family, were killed, by missile strikes by the regime and Russia forces that targeted their house in the village of Hmeimat in the Al-Ghab Plain, this morning, Monday, July 12, and the town of Qastoun was subjected to artillery shelling on its residential neighborhoods, without causing any casualties.
  • 'Jamila was killed as a result of the bombing of the Russian occupation forces and the militias of #Bashar_Assad, while she was sleeping in her home this morning in the village of Hmeimat. This video of her was filmed less than 24 hours before her murder.'
  • 'The effects of destruction as a result of the Russian artillery shelling on the village of Hmeimat, southwest of Idlib'
  • Image of Jamila (circled) via @anasanas84

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
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 child1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime
  • Suspected target
    Other

Sources (23) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TI061

Incident date

June 5, 2021

Location

مخمور, Makhmour Refugee Camp, Erbil, Iraq

Geolocation

35.755637, 43.603063 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

At least three people were killed and up to five others were injured in an alleged Turkish drone strike on Makhmour Refugee Camp south of Erbil in Kurdistan, Iraq. The Turkish government and their sources refer to those killed as members of the PKK while local and international sources refer to those killed and wounded as civilians.

The official of the National Union in Makhmour, Rashad Kalali, told Baghdad Today, “Turkish warplanes bombed Makhmour camp, located minutes ago, in the south of the district. The bombing targeted gardens for children inside the camp, which led to 3 casualties and 4 injuries,” explaining that “the camp is for Turkish refugees who have lived in it since 1997.”

A member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Gazi Kakai, also told Mangish “Turkish bombing targeted a refugee camp, specifically a park for children’s games, killing 3 and wounding 5 others” and “those who are inside the camp have nothing to do with the [Kurdistan Workers Party] PKK, and they have been in Makhmour since 1997 in accordance with the Refugee Protection Convention.”

The Kurdistan Party has referred to those killed as “civilians” and Deutsche Welle reported that “three civilians were killed and two more injured on Saturday in a Turkish missile attack on a refugee camp in northern Iraq.”

Hassan, a Kurdish resident of the camp from Turkey, told Middle East Eye: “Five, ten minutes before some airstrikes I was there. It was really, really bad. Two persons, two civilians, they got killed.”

US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas Greenfield tweeted that “I made clear to Turkish officials that any attack targeting civilians at Makhmour refugee camp would be a violation of international and humanitarian law.”

A few days prior to the incident, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had threatened to “clean up” Makhmour camp because it was being used as a base for the PKK.

According to Reuters, “Erdogan said that Selman Bozkir, who he said was a senior PKK official and manager of the Makhmour camp, had been “neutralised” – a term Turkish authorities use for targets who have been killed or wounded.” In addition, “an Iraqi security official said PKK officials at the camp had prevented police from entering the camp after the air strike, and declined to share details of the casualties.”

Daily Sabbah, a Turkish pro-government source, also added that “the PKK terrorist group’s so-called Makhmour regional leader in northern Iraq code-named “Doctor Hüseyin” was eliminated” and ” two more terrorists were neutralized in the operation,” referring to Makhmour as “portrayed as a refugee camp but actually serving as a recruitment and training area for the PKK.”

Kurdistan 24 reported “A security source who asked not to be named told Kurdistan 24 that the Turkish drone also struck a PKK outpost near the camp. “The Turkish drone targeted a headquarters of PKK militants located in the vicinity of the refugee camp,” they said, killing and wounding several PKK members.”

Tweeting about the incident in January 2022, @SimonaFoltyn said an Iraqi intel source told her those killed were fighters.

All of the sources that reported on the incident confirm that Turkey was responsible and the Turkish president took credit for the operation on Twitter, thanking his security forces for a successful operation and naming Selman Bozkir as being killed.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0 – 3
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–5
  • 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.
  • Known attacker
    Turkish Military
  • Known target
    Other
  • Belligerents reported killed
    0–3

Sources (20) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (6) [ collapse]

  • Caption translation: The official of the National Union in Makhmour, Rashad Kalali, told (Baghdad Today), "Turkish warplanes bombed Makhmour camp, located minutes ago, in the south of the district." Kalali added, "The bombing targeted gardens for children inside the camp, which led to 3 casualties and 4 injuries," explaining that "the camp is for Turkish refugees who have lived in it since 1997." (Images from Baghdad Today)
  • Caption translation: The official of the National Union in Makhmour, Rashad Kalali, told (Baghdad Today), "Turkish warplanes bombed Makhmour camp, located minutes ago, in the south of the district." Kalali added, "The bombing targeted gardens for children inside the camp, which led to 3 casualties and 4 injuries," explaining that "the camp is for Turkish refugees who have lived in it since 1997." (Images from Baghdad Today)
  • Caption translation: The official of the National Union in Makhmour, Rashad Kalali, told (Baghdad Today), "Turkish warplanes bombed Makhmour camp, located minutes ago, in the south of the district." Kalali added, "The bombing targeted gardens for children inside the camp, which led to 3 casualties and 4 injuries," explaining that "the camp is for Turkish refugees who have lived in it since 1997." (Images from Baghdad Today)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention a children’s playing ground within the Makhmour Refugee Camp (مخمور), for which the generic coordinates are: 35.755637, 43.603063. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Turkish Military Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

Turkish Military
Official source

Here I want to give good news to our nation.

Selman Bozkır, code-named "Doctor Hüseyin", the senior manager of the terrorist organization PKK and the general manager of Mahmur, was neutralized by the heroes of our National Intelligence Organization yesterday.

On behalf of my nation, I would like to thank all my friends who contributed to this successful operation.

We will not allow the treacherous and separatist organization to use Mahmur as an "incubation center" for terrorism, and we will continue to dry terrorism at its source.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0 – 3
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–5
  • 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.
  • Known attacker
    Turkish Military
  • Known target
    Other
  • Belligerents reported killed
    0–3

Sources (20) [ collapse]

Incident Code

YS104

Incident date

May 2, 2021

Location

عفرين, Afrin, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.441824, 36.783912 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Street level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

At least one civilian, a child, was killed and two others, including a woman, were injured in alleged Kurdish or regime strikes on Afrin in the northern countryside of Aleppo on May 2, 2021.

The Syrian Civil Defense reported “the killing of the child “Alia Rahim, 5 years old, and the wounding of a woman and a man, as a result of missile strikes from areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces and the regime forces in the northern countryside of Aleppo.” Various other sources gave the slain child’s age as three years old.

SCD also added that the child’s family had been displaced “from the southern countryside of Aleppo” and Shaam specified that her family “lives in a tent after she was displaced… from the village of Al-Batrana.” The Syrian Network for Human Rights added that the man and woman injured were the child’s parents and Baladi News reported that the parents were seriously injured and taken to the city hospital.

EdlibEmc1 also reported “a child was killed and others were injured due to artillery shelling by separatist Kurdish parties on the city of Afrin, north of Aleppo.”

The Turkish Ministry of Defense stated that the YPG had launched “8 cannons / rockets in the area where the fields are located in Afrin, Olive Branch, injured the mother, her child and a villager,” adding that the child could not be saved.

The Syrian Documentation Center reported that “more than 12 rockets” struck the neighborhood while 7al only identified six shells and located the strikes on the road to Jenderes. Radio Al Kul gave the specific location of the attacks as hitting “the Al-Jadida farm, south of Afrin.”

The majority of sources attributed the strikes to Kurdish forces. However, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that “it is not known yet if regime forces or Kurdish forces fired these rockets.” They also added that the area hit is under the control of “Turkish forces and their proxy factions” and just a few days prior, Turkish forces had shelled “the Kurdish-controlled villages of Bainah and Sawaghnah in Shirawa district in Afrin countryside.” A tweet from @anasanas84 also blamed the attack on “the Al-Assad and Qasd gangs.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (2)

Alia Rahim
5 years old female killed
Mother of Alia Rahim
Adult female injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, YPG
  • Suspected target
    Other

Sources (22) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (6) [ collapse]

  • Caption translation: The killing of the child “Alia Rahim, 5 years old, and the wounding of a woman and a man, as a result of missile strikes from areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces and the regime forces in the northern countryside of Aleppo. The body of the child and secured the place. (Image posted Syrian Civil Defense)
  • Caption translation: A five-year-old girl, named as Aliaa Rahim, was killed and her parents were injured in shelling by Syrian Democratic Forces who used a missile launcher to bombard a residential area in the center of Afrin city in the northern suburbs of Aleppo governorate on May 2. (Image posted by Syrian Network for Human Rights)
  • Screengrab taken from a video posted by the Turkish ministry of Defense on Twitter about the alleged Kurdish shelling on Afrin on May 2, 2021.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Caption translation: A child was killed and a woman was injured as a result of artillery shelling by the Syrian Democratic Forces targeting the city of Afrin in the northern countryside of Aleppo. (Image posted by @zelal_abo_adnan)

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Caption translation: The death of the three-year-old girl, Alia, and the injury of her mother as a result of artillery shelling by the SDF that targeted the city of Afrin, west of Aleppo, this morning, Sunday, May 2. (Image posted by @firas_alkhalifa)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention strikes on a farm in the vicinity of the Jindires road (طريق جنديرس), running south out of the city of Afrin (عفرين) in the direction of the town of Jindires (جنديرس). The generic coordinates for this road are: 36.441824, 36.783912. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

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Syrian Regime Assessment:

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

YPG Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 child)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, YPG
  • Suspected target
    Other

Sources (22) [ collapse]

Incident Code

CS1957

Incident date

April 4, 2021

Location

مبروكة‎, Mabrouka countryside, Al Hassaka, Syria

Geolocation

36.665778, 39.858190 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

At least one named man, whose status as a civilian or belligerent presently remains contested, was killed and a civilian was injured in alleged Coalition airstrikes (or possibly an IED attack) near the city of Ras Al-Ain in the Al Hassaka countryside on April 4th 2021. The UK declared a Reaper drone strike in the near region for that date.

Free Hasska Reporter described and included pictures of what it said was a Kia vehicle, after having been reportedly struck with “three missiles” and named the person killed as Omar Abdel-Fattah. Adar Press indicated that he may have been using another name and ” it was not able to know his real name, but he bears an identity issued by the local council of the city of Ras al-Ain.”

Instead according to Ezdina, “a civilian lost his life and another was wounded, as a result of the explosion of an explosive device, today, Sunday, in the countryside of Sere Kaniye / Ras Al-Ain.” It  also reported that “the explosive device, which was planted in a civilian vehicle, exploded.”

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that ” the dead man was a civilian, not belonging to any armed faction, and he was from the region and belonged to the Adwan clan, which is why it is likely that his death was a result of clan and family disputes.”

Ida2at also identified the man killed as a civilian, stating that he died from “the explosion of a truck transporting petroleum products…as a result of a technical failure that led to the ignition of the refined fuel.” They also added that the road that the incident occurred on was “used by armed factions loyal to the “Turkish occupation”, to allegedly facilitate smuggling operations with Syrian Democratic Forces.

Syrian TV also identified both the man killed and wounded as being civilians, though harmed by an explosive device planted in the car, adding that they had “crossed illegally” coming from areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the countryside of Hasaka.”

Euphrates Post quoted local sources as saying “a “Kia 2700” vehicle exploded on Darbasiyah Road before entering Ras Al-Ain, killing the driver, whom it described as a member of the “National Army”, and also wounding a civilian.”

A tweet by the Violations Documentation Centre identified the man killed as being an “ISIS leader” and attributed the strike to “a drone, believed to be by the international coalition to fight ISIS led by the United States.” Rojava Network also noted what it said was the “killing of the leader of the terrorist organization ISIS, Omar Abdel Fattah, in a raid by an international coalition drone”.

Xeber 24 instead reported that “sources suggested that the targeted person was affiliated with the armed factions and organizations supported by Turkey, as the Ankara loyalists struck a large security cordon at the location of the targeting.”

According to NPA Syrian, “this [would be] the first time that the Global Coalition has targeted ISIS or al-Qaeda leaders in this region.”

The British Royal Air Force issued a statement on April 8th that “In a separate operation carried on Sunday 4 April, an RAF Reaper, armed with Hellfire missiles, identified a small group of Daesh terrorists in northern Syria, some fifty miles west of Al Hasakah. Having checked that there were no civilians nearby, the Reaper’s crew attacked the terrorists, striking the target successfully.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Omar Abdel-Fattah
Adult male Contested as to whether belligerent or civilian killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike, Ground operation
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0 – 1
  • (0–1 men)
  • 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.
  • Suspected attacker
    UK Military
  • Suspected targets
    ISIS, Other
  • Belligerents reported killed
    0–1

Sources (15) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (4) [ collapse]

  • Caption translation: Unidentified aircraft targeted a Kia vehicle with three missiles near Al-Sarli village, killing a person named Omar Abdel-Fattah (Images posted by Free Hasska reporter via Facebook)
  • Caption translation: Unidentified aircraft targeted a Kia vehicle with three missiles near Al-Sarli village, killing a person named Omar Abdel-Fattah (Images posted by Free Hasska reporter via Facebook)
  • Caption translation: Unidentified aircraft targeted a Kia vehicle with three missiles near Al-Sarli village, killing a person named Omar Abdel-Fattah (Images posted by Free Hasska reporter via Facebook)

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    An image of Omar Abdel Fattah, contested as to whether he was a civilian or belligerent, killed in strikes against Ras al-Ain on April 4, 2021. (Image posted by Roja Ava network via Facebook)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention a vehicle being struck in the vicinity of Mabrouka (مبروكة‎). According to research conducted by @obretix, a possible location for this strike is: 36.665778, 39.858190. However, due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

UK Military Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

UK Military
Official source

In a separate operation carried on Sunday 4 April, an RAF Reaper, armed with Hellfire missiles, identified a small group of Daesh terrorists in northern Syria, some fifty miles west of Al Hasakah. Having checked that there were no civilians nearby, the Reaper’s crew attacked the terrorists, striking the target successfully.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike, Ground operation
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0 – 1
  • (0–1 men)
  • 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.
  • Suspected attacker
    UK Military
  • Suspected targets
    ISIS, Other
  • Belligerents reported killed
    0–1

Sources (15) [ collapse]

Incident Code

LC425

Incident date

March 19, 2021

Location

زمزم, Zamzam, Benghazi, Libya

Geolocation

32.087047, 20.150771 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Eight children were allegedly injured by artillery shelling from an unknown belligerent in Benghazi.

Libya Alahrar TV wrote: “Al-Galaa Hospital for Surgery and Accidents in Benghazi announced that eight children were injured yesterday, Friday, as a result of a shell landing in the Zamzam neighborhood.

The hospital added in a statement on Saturday that the injured children, who were between the ages of eleven and sixteen years old, had moderate or critical injuries, including those who received first aid and left the hospital.

There has been no official clarifying statement issued by the official authorities in Benghazi until the moment to reveal who was behind the launch of the shell.”

Other sources published similar reports.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Abdullah Nasser Suleiman
7 years old male injured
Sulaiman Nasser Suleiman
15 years old male injured
Abdel Wahab Nasser Al-Shikmak
16 years old male injured
Salem Nasser Salem Al-Shikmak
12 years old male injured
Ahmed Faraj Nasser Al-Fitouri
11 years old male injured
Dawood Hassan Daoud
12 years old male injured
Haitham Dawoud Al-Mismari
15 years old male injured
Abdul Hakim Abdul Majeed Muhammad
11 years old male injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    8
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Unknown
  • Suspected target
    Other

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention the neighbourhood of Zamzam (زمزم), for which the generic coordinates are: 32.087047, 20.150771. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

  • Reports of the incident mention the neighbourhood of Zamzam (زمزم).

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

Unknown Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    8
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Unknown
  • Suspected target
    Other

Sources (4) [ collapse]