Ter Maala Massacre

On October 15, 2015, opposition sources reported that Syrian and/or Russian airstrikes killed about 60 people, mostly civlians and half of those women and children, in Ter Maala, Homs Province, as they hid in a bomb shelter. Pro-government sources claimed instead the civilians were killed by Al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra, in order to blame the government/Russian offensive.

Location
Ter Maala (Arabic: تير معلة ) is a smaller town just north of Homs city (here on Wikimapia). It's currently on the southern edge of an ongoing government push to reclaim the Rastan pocket held by opposition forces (see ). Recent offensives have pushed in on both sides to the north, as if to isolate Tar Maala in advance of an offensive there.

Second Massacre?
Two days later (the 17th, Saturday), activists told Al Jazeera, another Russian air strike killed another batch of civilians in Ter Maala, again hiding in a bomb shelter, including 48 members of a single unnamed family. The previous strikes allegedly killed 37 members of a single family, Assaf. but this sounds like a second family in a second incident. It's repeated aound by, for example, Russia Herald as "Russian missiles kill entire 48-member family in Syria."


 * The bomb shelter where the family was hiding was hit by a rocket on Saturday, activists told Al Jazeera on Sunday. Rescue teams spent over 10 hours trying to recover the bodies of the victims, Al Jazeera was told.


 * Abu Abbas, a survivor, said the majority of the casualties were children. "The eldest of the victims is a 70-year-old woman; the youngest was a one-month-old child," Abu Abbas said. "They were not terrorists as [Russian President Vladimir] Putin said."

However, it's not a supported claim. The SOHR reported on the 17th that, by their sources:
 * The Russian warplanes re-struck the outskirts of the city of Talbisah, the village of Om Sharshouh and the town of Ghanto north of Homs, no information about casualties, and amid ongoing clashes between the regime forces and allied militiamen against the rebel and Islamist factions around the Hosh Hajjo, Terma’lah and outskirts of the city of Talbisah north of Homs leading to kill a fighter in the Islamist factions. In addition, the rebel and Islamist factions targeted regime firces [sic] groups on the outskirts of the village of Terma’lah, information reported casualties.


 * A man from al- Hulah area north of Homs killed due to the regime forces shelling on the area.

As of the 20th VDC lists one Homs bombing death on the 17th, in Palmyra, and only 3 on the 18th, if in the right area query). No victim from Houla is listed. The SOHR issued another report on the 18th that said "the 4 civilians who were killed yesterday in the airstrikes carried out by warplanes, believed to be the Russian’s, on the town of al- Ghanto are the medial (staff) in the town." Still no word about a family of 48 killed.

An extra detailed report from the 18th is headed "Russian occupation commits a massacre in Homs 17-10-2015" and claims a massacre of 43 members of a family. But despite the headline, by this it seems they refer to the events of the 15th. Asharq al-Arabi (Arabic, auto-translated with repairs)
 * ''Details of the massacre at the shelter by Russian warplanes missiles in rural Homs ... Documented field hospitals in the countryside North of Homs governorate, killing forty-three people from the same family in the town of alghanto North of Homs countryside. By targeting Russian warplanes with missiles on Thursday, features vacuum bombing ... sophisticated missiles capable of penetrating a

consecutive large fortifications, causing severe damage.''
 * According to sources on the ground have seen bombing that the first missile destroyed the two-storey building with the second missile destroyed the bunker beneath the building. ... This, if anything, it shows already and the determination to implement the massacre, the sanctuary is known to all that the place where civilians congregate, especially women and children, at the time of the bombardment aviation and throw explosive barrels ... The recording showed the media bulletin photographer Imran Ali, a certificate for a survivor of the massacre, which killed a large number of family members inside the sanctuary.

While measurements for the shelter are given, the family is not. But dying in large numbers, in a shelter in al-Ghanto on the 15th, makes it fairly clear they now say 43 or even 48 members of this one "Assaf" family died in that shelter.

SOHR reports

 * 11 dead: "Rose to 11 including a child, the number of civilians who were killed by Russia airstrikes on Ter Maala in the northern countryside"


 * 42 dead:
 * It rose to 42, including 25 citizen women and a child and several fighters from the rebel and Islamic factions the number of persons who the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights managed to document their death as a result of the massacre carried out by the warplanes and the regime forces ... the number of deaths is likely to rise because the information about deaths we weren’t able to document yet, ...
 * ...also shells launched by the regime forces landed on areas in al-Wa’er neighborhood in Homs, while the warplanes bombed places in the villages of Hbub al-Rih and al-Halmuz in the northern countryside of Homs, while areas in the towns of Snisil and Jwalek in the countryside of Homs were bombed by the helicopters, while the regime forces bombed areas on the outskirts of the town of Al-Ghantu in the northern countryside of Homs, the regime forces also opened fire of heavy machineguns on areas in the town of al-Sa’en al-Aswad, they also bombed areas in the city of Talbiseh and areas in the road between Talbiseh city and the village of Al-Ghantu in the northern countryside of Homs which caused injuries, while the rebel and Islamic factions targeted areas in the village of Qenniyyet al-Asi in the countryside of Homs, while 4 members of the regime forces -two of them are colonels- were killed during the bombardment and clashes against the rebel and Islamic Factions in the northern countryside of Homs, and information about more casualties in the ranks of the regime forces during the same clashes.


 * 60 dead:
 * Homs province: Rose to 60 the number of people who were killed by Russian airstrikes and regime’s bombardment which targeted areas of the northern countryside, the dead included 30 children and women in addition 17 rebels, the number of the dead is likely to rise because of the serious injuries. Russian warplanes targeted al-Gento and Talbisa with 4 airstrikes amid violent clashes between regime forces and Islamic battalions around Talbisa and Khnefes checkpoints. IS executed and beheaded a man in the eastern countryside for ” Magic ” .

VDC Records
The Center for Documentation of Violations (VDC) lists a total of 71 "martyrs" killed in Homs by warplane shelling, October 15 and 16. (it's still rising, was 63 hours earlier) Exactly one is listed as non-civilian, defected Captain Raead al-Aksah.

70 are listed as civilians. These include: 33 Adult males, 13 adult females, 13 boys, 12 girls. They hail mainly from Tairmaaleh, Ghantto, with some from Telbeiseh and Zafarana. There are not many names that repeat much; Steif is second highest with 6 entries. But half the list is people named Assaf, 35 total, not including maiden name wives of families. These are, unusually, 10 men, 7 women, 8 boys, and 10 girls (of 12 total).

43 share the exact note "A massacre of a number of families due to Russian warplanes targeted a shelter in Ghantto town." Another 12 have blame "a massacre by the Russian warplanes shelling targeted crowd of civilians near a bakery," and all 71 have notes including "Russia."

Videos
VDC Generic Videos attached to victim entries (all could be geolocated):


 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwnYYoupnRo
 * شام ريف حمص الغنطو مجزرة بشعة يرتكبها طيران العدو الروسي في البلدة 15 10 2015 تحذير الفيديو قاسي(Cham Homs Al-Ghantu ugly massacre committed by Russian aviation enemy in the town 1510 2015 Video harsh warning 18+) Uploaded by Shaam News Network, October 15, 2015 (no later than 3:11 pm in Syria)
 * Analysis included here: one victim may have been killed with a sword strike to the head, or shelling, both are almost totally naked, one at least seems too old to have died that day.


 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhG0U7lnaZA fighter jet passes, two blasts seen


 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xzayNGr6xI smoke rises from blasts nearby as people dig in a blasted home


 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdwq_Atw504 smoke rises from blasts


 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNxM45FwXx4 fighter jet passes, smoke rises from blasts
 * (Cham Homs explosive barrels heavy shelling targeted the town of Al-Ghantu 1510 2015) - Shows the frame of a large unfinished triangle shaped structure in the northeastern part of al-Ghantoo, a smaller village a few km north of Ter Maela.


 * Syrian news footage
 * First images of the military operation initiated by our armed forces the northern and northwestern countryside of Homs 10/15/2015

Military situation

 * Syrian Army Rapidly Advances in Northern Homs: Tayr Ma’lat on the Verge of Capture - LEITH FADEL, October 23, 2015
 * Video: 6 days after the start of the military campaign, regime forces fail to break into the village of Teir Maalah - SMART News Agency, Oct 20, 2015