SCTJ Statement on al-Bab Massacre, September 18, 2014 in Aleppo

Tens of innocent civilian victims in al-Bab city in Aleppo were killed due to barrel bomb airstrike by Assad regime forces. The strike targeted a queue of civilians waiting in line to buy bread from a bakery. The outcome of the strike resulted in high number of casualties and injuries. Not to mention the damages and the ruins in such condensed neighborhood which were caused by the barrel bomb.

On Thursday 18 September, 2014, at approximately 10:00 AM the Syrian regime carried out an airstrike assault against the heavily populated city of Al-Bab in al-Makateb Street, where a barrel bomb weighing approximately 450 was dropped by Regime warplanes.

The Syrian regime targeted an area in the street where residents and IDPs live. Furthermore, the civilians in that area were standing in line in front of a bakery when the incident took place. The outcome of the massacre resulted in tens of civilian victims; most of whom were children and women. Additionally, the shelling wounded more than 83 civilians and caused great material damages to the buildings and the near local markets.

The targeted area is an absolutely civil area that has no military presence during or before the time of the shelling. Civil defense and Fire fighters teams headed immediately to the targeted area while Ambulance San Frontiers (MSF) organization transferred the wounded and charred dead bodies to field-hospitals. Nevertheless, the fires that broke out in the buildings due to the shelling hindered the medical teams to reach the charred bodies, transfer them, or even recognize them.

While the final death toll is still not confirmed especially with more than 83 injuries, including critical cases, 41 victims were documented at the end of the day, Thursday, September 18, 2014:

1- Abdullah Othman Ar-Ragheb.
2- Samer Haddad.
3- Beshr Shehabi.
4- Mohammad Abdulaziz Al-Ataqi.
5- Mustafa An-Naqou.
6- Ahmad Taqi Assfour.
7- Trad Al-Abd Al-Jawad.
8- Hussein Al-Kousa.
9- Ahmad Mohammad Kalzi.
10- Ahmad Kassar.
11- Hamidi Ad-Dahham.
12- Khawla Haj Omar.
13- Child Mohammad Ali Az-Zou’bi.
14- Abdulmu’ti Ar-Ragheb.
15-16- Two unidentified victims, from “Ar-Ragheb” family.
17- Unidentified 30-something woman victim.
18- Unidentified female child victim.
19- Unidentified victim/
20- Victim called Mansour. His full name wasn’t confirmed.
21- Victim called Faraj, his full name wasn’t confirmed.
22- Mohammad Ali Al-Bzie’i.
23- Walid Abulasal.
24- Unidentified victim, Walid Abulasal’s son.
25- Bassam Abulasal.
26- Mohammad Abulasal.
27- Eidou Al-Ali.
28- Othman Bakri.
29- Osama Ibied.
30- Abdussalam Ar-Ragheb.
31-41- Eleven unidentified victims.

SCTJ strongly condemns the deliberate targeting of civilians and residential areas using various methods of bombing including barrel bombs which are killing more and more children, women, and elderlies in Syria every day. Furthermore, SCTJ affirms that the Syrian regime perpetrated war crimes that are considered serious violations of the international law, which strictly prohibits the targeting of civilians or anyone that is not involved in military operations, shelling, or even attacking cities, villages, condensed neighborhoods, and buildings that are not military targets.

The Syrian regime’s ongoing policy of indiscriminately shelling civil areas and civilians’ gatherings which are not considered military targets reflects a complete and utter disregard of the international humanitarian law and recklessness of the lives of innocent civilians especially women and children.

SCTJ urges U.N. and the Security Council to take all the necessary measures to protect the Syrian civilians and IDPs from the Syrian regime warplanes, which are continuously targeting them and their residential areas. Also, SCTJ affirm the necessity to hold all the individuals responsible for this massacre and any other similar crimes accountable.

Moreover, SCTJ renews its demands to refer all Assad massacres and crimes, which is being perpetrated daily, to the specialized international courts in order to hold the individuals responsible accountable and bring them to justice.

Images of the Victims and the damages caused by the barrel bomb