2015 Douma massacre | |
---|---|
Part of Syrian Civil War | |
Location | Douma, Syria |
Coordinates | 33°34′20.15″N 36°24′06.52″E / 33.5722639°N 36.4018111°E |
Date | 16 August 2015 |
Target | Civilians [1] [2] [3] |
Attack type | Airstrike |
Weapons | Missiles, Barrel bombs [4] |
Deaths | 96+ [2] |
Injured | 200+ [2] [3] [4] |
Perpetrator | Syrian Air Force [2] [3] |
On August 16, 2015, the Syrian Air Force [5] launched strikes on the rebel-held city of Douma, northeast of Damascus, killing at least 96 people and injuring at least 200 others. [2] [6] [7] It was one of the deadliest attacks to have occurred during the Syrian Civil War. [3]
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, four separate missiles were fired in the strikes, which struck the main market in the town during rush hour. [3] Initial airstrikes were reportedly followed shortly afterwards by surface-to-surface missiles which hit people who had rushed to the scene to help. [8]
I entered the market and the corpses were scattered everywhere, human remains thrown on the produce and vegetables, and under every box of tomatoes was a corpse or part of a corpse.
— Bassam al-Hakeem, a Douma-based photographer [9]
The bodies of sixty of the massacre victims were buried in two mass graves on the night of August 16. [10]
Rami Abdurrahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights described the air strikes as "an official massacre that was carried out deliberately." [3] A Syrian military source told Reuters that the country's air force had carried out strikes in Douma and Harasta that targeted the headquarters of the rebel group Jaysh al-Islam. [1]
The Turkey-based Syrian political opposition group, the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, said the attack aimed at inflicting as many civilian casualties as possible. [2]
Stephen O'Brien, the United Nations' most senior humanitarian official, said he was horrified by the attacks and reiterated that "attacks on civilians are unlawful, unacceptable and must stop." [11] Jeffrey Feltman, the UN political chief, told the U.N. Security Council that Sunday's attack "would be yet one more war crime for which those responsible must be held accountable." [12] United Nations envoy Staffan de Mistura called the attacks "unacceptable", to which Syria responded by accusing him of "stray[ing] from neutrality". [13]
The massacre was also condemned by Britain, France, Germany and Qatar. [14]
2015 Douma massacre | |
---|---|
Part of Syrian Civil War | |
Location | Douma, Syria |
Coordinates | 33°34′20.15″N 36°24′06.52″E / 33.5722639°N 36.4018111°E |
Date | 16 August 2015 |
Target | Civilians [1] [2] [3] |
Attack type | Airstrike |
Weapons | Missiles, Barrel bombs [4] |
Deaths | 96+ [2] |
Injured | 200+ [2] [3] [4] |
Perpetrator | Syrian Air Force [2] [3] |
On August 16, 2015, the Syrian Air Force [5] launched strikes on the rebel-held city of Douma, northeast of Damascus, killing at least 96 people and injuring at least 200 others. [2] [6] [7] It was one of the deadliest attacks to have occurred during the Syrian Civil War. [3]
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, four separate missiles were fired in the strikes, which struck the main market in the town during rush hour. [3] Initial airstrikes were reportedly followed shortly afterwards by surface-to-surface missiles which hit people who had rushed to the scene to help. [8]
I entered the market and the corpses were scattered everywhere, human remains thrown on the produce and vegetables, and under every box of tomatoes was a corpse or part of a corpse.
— Bassam al-Hakeem, a Douma-based photographer [9]
The bodies of sixty of the massacre victims were buried in two mass graves on the night of August 16. [10]
Rami Abdurrahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights described the air strikes as "an official massacre that was carried out deliberately." [3] A Syrian military source told Reuters that the country's air force had carried out strikes in Douma and Harasta that targeted the headquarters of the rebel group Jaysh al-Islam. [1]
The Turkey-based Syrian political opposition group, the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, said the attack aimed at inflicting as many civilian casualties as possible. [2]
Stephen O'Brien, the United Nations' most senior humanitarian official, said he was horrified by the attacks and reiterated that "attacks on civilians are unlawful, unacceptable and must stop." [11] Jeffrey Feltman, the UN political chief, told the U.N. Security Council that Sunday's attack "would be yet one more war crime for which those responsible must be held accountable." [12] United Nations envoy Staffan de Mistura called the attacks "unacceptable", to which Syria responded by accusing him of "stray[ing] from neutrality". [13]
The massacre was also condemned by Britain, France, Germany and Qatar. [14]