Areeha city is located southern to Idlib city, eastern to Jisr Al Shoughour and northern to Ma’art Al Noaman city. Lately it has been under the control of Al Fateh Army, a joined force of some armed opposition groups and Al Nusra Front. Further, offices of Al Fateh Army are located on the periphrasis of the city.
In this report we document the shelling incident that was perpetrated on a market in Areeha city by alleged Russian warplane.
SNHR communicated with several activists and residents and conducted several interviews, where three interviews are depicted in this report. We explained the goal of the interviews to the witnesses and were granted their consent to use the information they provide in this report. We verified the photos and videos we had received, and we kept copies of all the video clips and images used in this report.
Through careful examination of the photo and video evidence, we concluded that the airstrikes have targeted a purely civilian marketplace void of any military or weapons depots neither during nor before the attack.
The information contained in this report represents the minimum of massacres and violations committed by the alleged Russian shelling. Also, it does not include the social, economic, and psychological impact of these violations.
The Russian forces denied all these accusations and stated via its media outlets that they targeted ISIL military headquarters. Also, it is worth noting that the Russian forces accused SNHR of presenting misleading and false information.