Talk:Douma Market Attack, August 2015

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Start Notes

Sorry, I took too long putting this on the blog first. No time to copy over, with the pressing project, and the blog needs more traffic anyway. Some good findings already, like 95 victims at least dumped unclaimed in mass graves, 100 of 105 in the VDC list are adult males, etc. --Caustic Logic (talk) 11:22, 18 August 2015 (UTC)

Later, much later it seems on my end: damn guys, nothing? :/ --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:54, 26 August 2015 (UTC)

Calls for Investigation

Were there any? I don't remember seeing anyone demanding an investigation. In fact, people like DeMistura used language suggesting one wasn't needed, the government denials were obvious lies to be dismissed out-of-hand. But in case there is any request, here's a space to cover it. --Caustic Logic (talk) 07:00, 30 August 2015 (UTC)

Timeline Questions

Human Rights Watch was told by a mix of activists and Douma local authorities "the four airstrikes hit the crowded markets, known locally as the al-Hal, al-Houboub, and al-Ghanam markets, at about noon. All three markets are within 500 meters of one another." No specific time is cited. Others say mid-day. --Caustic Logic (talk) 14:02, 4 September 2015 (UTC)

The best visual measure (pending) is maybe from a photo (posted here, original link misplaced... Hi-Res) clearly some minutes before the video still I used to estimate an attack around 1:30 PM. That showed one massive blurred plume rising high, while this earlier and clearer photo shows four distinct plumes much earlier an smaller. Maybe THIS is ten minutes after? 20? Line of sight yet to determine, sun angle relative to that seems a bit to the left but almost from behind. (Early tries suggested it's filmed a bit from the west of the video still, closer to Douma, and the sunlight in maybe 194deg, around 1 PM ) Final estimate answer in time. --Caustic Logic (talk) 14:02, 4 September 2015 (UTC)

One measure is when people started chattering about it. rebel-linked Douma Revolution on Twitter, should be a quickly informed source, has this timeline (all auto-translated from Arabic):

--Caustic Logic (talk) 14:02, 4 September 2015 (UTC)

Indeed that account is on the ball. I wish I knew all accounts to check, but here are a few more informed sources, all getting their first breaking news out even later.
  • @LccSy 1:58 #ريف_دمشق Scores between martyrs and injuries...
  • @syriahr (SOHR) 2:26 The martyrdom and wounding of dozens more by targeting system for aircraft always ghouta Town East
  • @SyriaCivilDef 2:52

Conclusion from all this: it must be after 1 PM, which could be called "about noon" but not with great accuracy. --Caustic Logic (talk) 23:09, 4 September 2015 (UTC)

  • Summary article at Monitor blog, preliminary findings: Douma Market Attack: Victims Dead Before the Attack? "The best attack time estimate of 1:00-1:25, plus this best-yet photo reading means the photo was taken anywhere from 25 minutes before the rockets hit to 30 minutes after." (Subject to refinement) --Caustic Logic (talk) 02:27, 6 September 2015 (UTC)

Another rough reading - at 0:35 in this video (MD3 on my blog list) is a scene at the park market shortly after the attack, it seems. I place this at the park's west end, facing almost due south. Minaret to the right is there, about 550 meters SSSW) nearest corners match, etc. That street runs 181, 1 deg. w of south. The view is about 2 degrees east of straight down it, so basically due south, maybe 179 or so. A shadow cast by due west sun would appear horizontal (across field of view - it would be about 5:15 pm). With sun from due south, shadows would look vertical - towards the lens. That would be the case at solar noon, one possible "about noon" - that would be 12:39 pm. This angle is between them, a bit closer to towards the camera. Trying to correct for foreshortening, I made a decent guess measure that came out to azimuth 211. This in the NOAA calculator, GNT+2, DST on, pin on Douma, August 16 2015, yields 1:25 PM. Azimuth is a clearer read than altitude, but this was rough. good range 1:15 to 1:35 - Response is underway, attacks some minutes before. --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:42, 17 September 2015 (UTC)

Thermobaric rockets

The Douma Revolution tweet gives us an extremely useful piece of information. We finally know what a thermobaric rocket like the UMLACA is in Arabic! صواريخ فراغية translates to "Missiles vacuum".

A similar Google search produces this video on the first page. - Very important to the media vacuum missiles bombed Hrsta 29-10-2012 - Is this the same UMLACA that was shown to OPCW inspectors in August 2013?

Another page claims that thermobaric 220 mm BM-27 Uragan rockets have been fired at Jobar, maybe even BM-30 Smerch. A salvo of four BM-27 rockets could explain the four simultaneous explosions in Douma. I guess Douma would be out of the 2 km range of the UMLACA. -- Petri Krohn (talk) 00:46, 5 September 2015 (UTC)

Image search gives this Getty image from May 14, 2015: Syrian residents look at the damaged buildings after a warcraft belonging to Syrian army carried out vacuum bomb attack on Ayn Tarma town in the eastern Gouta region of Damascus, Syria. The damage is very similar to what we see in Douma.

Similar damage in Douma on February 9, 2015, claimed by "vacuum misiles."

This page says "Warplanes targeted by five missiles vacuum city Harasta Rural Damascus". Published 15 August 2015 at 5:41 pm. Is this related? -- Petri Krohn (talk) 01:04, 5 September 2015 (UTC)

For comparison, see these barrel bombs. -- Petri Krohn (talk) 04:59, 5 September 2015 (UTC)

I think the early plums look consistent - early high-rising, lots of heat, something of a mushroom shape - by the time of the first photo the columns have cooled off, stopped rising, and are just drifting on the wind (bottom part just horizontal) (will look at images soon), I imagine these can be delivered by jet like they say, and of course by various surface rockets like the Volcano/UMLACA, etc. --Caustic Logic (talk) 13:57, 5 September 2015 (UTC)
Consistent clue: see damage image below - a palm tree's bark is still smoldering. The blast radius seems around 40 meters wide, longer along axis of travel (from the south). --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:12, 12 September 2015 (UTC)

Two photo spheres from Damascus from June 2015 seem to show buildings collapsed by thermobaric weapons. -- Petri Krohn (talk) 01:47, 17 September 2015 (UTC)

Douma Market attack truckdamage.png

I've puzzled over the impact scene at el-Hal market. Here, facing southwest. What crushed this truck? From a couple angles? Is that just the pressure wave FAE weapons cause? --Caustic Logic (talk) 23:37, 18 September 2015 (UTC)

Arc of Attack?

Douma MA strike areas.png

When Robert Lewis wrote comparing the Douma attack with the 1995 Markale market shelling in Sarajevo, Bosnia, he mentioned this:

"I have visited the market in Sarajevo. An arc of attack was not apparent. Sightlines were few and very narrow. It would take exceptional skill, I think, to accurately and reliably hit it with the groupings and timings we are asked to believe in."

And this was all with one surface-firing allegation vs. another. When one side claims a fighter jet strike, and no one even specifies the alternative but it's ground-based ... and there's an apparent arc of attack. If this is what he meant ...

This is what I have mapped for 3 impacts. It seems there were 4 total, at least in the initial attack reported by 1:27PM. As I established comparing the two southwest views here, these must be the left-hand three, with the right hand impact some distance to the right/east/southeast. But considering the pattern of the other three, and apparent distances in the photo, I would suppose these two things: 1) it'll be as far from the last one as each of the others is from each other (equal spacing) 2) it will likely be in the same arc implied by the other three, E-SE of the last one. That arc might suggest a fixed-range surface rocket firing position to the south-southwest, distance unclear - the same basic direction the plume photo and video were taken from. Or, at any rate, it would be pretty odd for fighter jet impacts taken on different swoops to wind up with such an arc pattern, wouldn't it?

Douma Market Attack Impact South.png

This is a useful photo (at Twitter res, better will help) compared to a Goole Earth view from a year ago. Blast took out the front fence, out into the market/street area - chipped the bottom only of the back wall, but walkway red tile roof blasted or burned away. Crater near the central structure. That's chipped right behind impact. Trees gone, pushed aside, burned, tall palm on the left was lit up high, its bark still smoldering. Low damage behind, higher damage up the sides and forward is the rule for slanted incoming rockets/missiles. This might have been FAE (thermobaric). Blast radius: app. 40 meters wide, around 60 meters on the axis of travel.

Apparent direction of travel then: almost due south, 182.5 degrees. On the arc described above, this would be the most southerly-origin impact. The line points to Mesraba outskirts or Beit Sawa (2.5-4 km out), range still not clear. The incoming angle may be fairly steep (not a massive forward trajectory), so relatively near. If I could get a view of the fourth impact, or a direction reading on the el-Hal market one, the difference COULD point to a narrower origin.

And that's presuming a surface origin, as I increasingly am. --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:23, 12 September 2015 (UTC)

This video seems to show that the fourth blast site was in the steel framed warehouse, right next to you pink dot on the blog.
-- Petri Krohn (talk) 01:36, 17 September 2015 (UTC)
Great find! I actually saw that before but forgot about it. This must be the spot, as I was guessing from its size (almost too big to not hit) and market compatibility (more like the big covered market in Mariupol than like el-Hal, really). Here it's seen from I guess the southeast face. Not enough clues in the video to call the place in itself, but given that's the kind of place where the fourth hit must be ... Nothing I see to call firing direction (should be from left and behind, if my theory is right). I'll be double-checking, and looking into el-Hal. --Caustic Logic (talk) 10:50, 17 September 2015 (UTC)
I'd say it his kind of middle of the building, closer to the camera than dead center, north-south, not sure but ... --Caustic Logic (talk) 13:50, 17 September 2015 (UTC)

Considering Petri's find of the fourth impact spot, about where I would guess, here's an updated arc graphic. Each impact centered quite close to where each impact seems centered, separately measured between each spot on Wikimapia. Will be a little wiggly. What we see is a uniform spread of 155 meters between each hit, coming though a bit wiggly. Even angle change between each, describing a small portion of a circle. Some psycho launched at one market, turned x degrees and launched again, and then did the same two more times. And did it to blame on "Assad," to synchronize with 100+ civilians killed, and to evoke Srebrenica's Markale market precedent. --Caustic Logic (talk) 13:50, 17 September 2015 (UTC)

Arc 155m spread.png

Up to this point, there hasn't been much talk (dialog) on this, but I think it's a smoking gun to lead with. Anyone else? --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:42, 26 September 2015 (UTC)

  • Mapping the Arc of Attack added to the blog October 12. It became an important enough point it was worth a more careful explanation how it was mapped out. Includes reading updates (mostly as in the next section) and some updates on my efforts to alert people about it. --Caustic Logic (talk) 05:43, 13 October 2015 (UTC)

Arc to Firing Location

Douma MA Arc Circle.png

The other cool thing about an arc of attack that was slow to fully dawn on me is that it's part of a circle I could trace, and a circle has a center, so firing distance doesn't have to stay unknown. I decided it was relatively nearby - turns out it's a bit over 800 meters out. Best circle in white, under 4 impacts in red, park market trajectory in red, green dot halfway across that diameter. maybe not on that house but in the field just south of it - I suspect the circle should be a bit bigger than shown, the center dot more in that field. But the spot will be within that green circle, or a version of it centered a few meters further south. --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:42, 26 September 2015 (UTC)

At this range, the angle between shots is about 11 degrees, if even (I get about 12-10-10.5, all imprecise). Overall span is app. 33 degrees on the compass from 2.5 degrees from north up to about 35. I see no major reason to look for certain angles though, nor even divisions - it would be about hitting the three markets, all being sizeable targets, all with plenty of portions that happen to be equally spaced like that, and so the division happens to be even, to simplify. --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:42, 26 September 2015 (UTC)

So What?

Wow. Turns out I could have skipped all that work and just cited the Syrian Netwok for Human Rights (SNHR, like SOHR after a debilitating stroke) and been almost correct. This is what their report (PDF, available here) shows for impact locations.

Douma MA SNHR Arc.png

They're correct and show the arc, other than the one impact Petri helped find, that I predicted with the arc. They seem unfazed that this points to a surface firing position about 820 meters to the south more than to a jet attack. --Caustic Logic (talk) 15:02, 10 January 2016 (UTC)

Interpreter Mag after the October 30 attack with surface rockets puts it in context with no missed beat (Pierre Vaux credited). "Today's attack has particular resonance as the same neighbourhood saw one of the worst atrocities of the past year when the Syrian regime struck the marketplace with surface-to-surface missiles on August 16, killing nearly 100 people." For support, links to Reuters who says toll of air raid grows. The only place where surface rockets were proven was here and they did nnot link to us. But they figured it out on their own somehow? --Caustic Logic (talk) 23:17, 30 October 2015 (UTC)

I tweeted the author to ask for his source on that. Best guess on response, if any: he'll just retract the point. --Caustic Logic (talk) 06:22, 31 October 2015 (UTC)

Other Attack Site Clues

Finishing A Demolition?

Doma MA Intersection trash bins.png

Here's an oddity of one impact, at the intersection. This still from [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keI-QaD0y-4 video MD10] shows the scene from the east, and the completely destroyed low-level building that was once on that corner, that left surprisingly little wreckage about. Also, much of the wreckage appears contained in these two trash bins. The video was taken at a time I read as around 2:00-2:20 PM.

so somewhere around one hour after the attack or less, has someone already brought in these trash bins and filled them to the top with debris as a first priority? Did that much debris just happen to land in them? Or was there an ongoing demolition at this spot, for whatever reason? If so, does it mean anything that one of the rebel rockets used to blame the regime for the day's massacre helped finish that work? --Caustic Logic (talk) 23:00, 21 September 2015 (UTC)


Victims Analysis

Rigor Mortis and Death Time

Douma bodies 252pm.jpg

Okay, I started with a question about one victim seen in this earliest-posted photo of the gathered bodies of men and boys, the few dozen unwrapped bloody ones. That seems to be 2:53 PM (10 hours ahead of the Tweet time in California) On the left are two things that made me wonder: a man on a children's slide, feet sticking out, and a guy who looks a bit worried about the camera. The legs suggested rigor mortis. But looking closer. I now don't think so. Left leg only sticks out, and I think that's from his knee being above that curve, so that's just shin-straightness, not interesting.

First, can anyone talk me back into seeing that? It was interesting. Takes about 2 hours to start, more to get that stiff, and I have the plume of smoke video timed to about one hour before the photo (solar azimuth 220 degrees, +/- 4 degrees), around 1:35-1:50 PM. So attack, around 1:25-1:35. --Caustic Logic (talk) 23:00, 27 August 2015 (UTC)

Otherwise, the bodies here seem relaxed and non-stiff an hour after the bombing. Arms lay flat, nothing sticks out. Maybe they are stiff and jut carried in carefully so they stay stiff in that set position, but I'll say relaxed like they should be. Besides being pulled from whatever and gathered suspiciously quick, there's a question in their lack of rigor mortis. Is this before or after it? It takes hours to start, and up 'til about a day after death to relax fully. Were they generally killed about an hour before the photo, or more like 24 hours before? To me, the blood on them seems pretty dry for having died just an hour ago or less, after injuries played their course. They don't seem to be bleeding out any more either. --Caustic Logic (talk) 23:00, 27 August 2015 (UTC)

Less Clear Victims

Late note, there was a similar but smaller market bombing massacre on Aug. 12 with 29 dead men and boys, and unlisted girls ... (see VDC database) Some pictures given as the 16th are recycled from this. Several wrapped men, but bloodier - an infant completely charred black and crackling - a boy with his guts out, alive in clinic - a blood-and-dust covered baby, alive in clinic - mangled kid in yellow next to a flipped motorcycle - blood on flatbread - some others I'm trying to remember to note. A mass grave scene widely re-posted on Twitter is also re-cycled from somewhere. I'm sure I've seen it, but can't remember where. Maybe Daraya Massacre, 2012? The crying girl in maroon hijab (see here) (not the same photo, but the same girl, I think, is seen in other photos from the 12th, like this one - just a repeat market customer?)
Update, the crying girl photo on August 12. Devastating air strikes hit a busy marketplace in #Douma #Damascus #Syria photos @BassamKhabieh @reuterspictures. Became iconic "news" photo for another event 4 days later. --Caustic Logic (talk) 06:14, 7 September 2015 (UTC)
Those considered below do not fit this category; their pictures are from August 16, or from somewhewre further away in time or space. --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:32, 27 August 2015 (UTC)

I have at least 4 child victims from two photos found on twitter, one common and one not. All point to horrible massacre activities. To me, anyway. Taking second thoughts. --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:54, 26 August 2015 (UTC)

Head-Hacked Kids?

(links, pics maybe should be here too - eventually) three child victims, appears to be 2 girls and a boy, all aged like 3-7, alleged by tweets as part of some "Douma massacre" on August 16. My impression, sort-of averaged across all three as I can see: they and their clothes are intact, not dusty - I think they were not involved in a missile attack. They have slightly roughed up knees is all, aside from the fatal head wounds (signs mixed/uncertain, but no other wounds are seen). These are the only deceased girls I've seen, not recorded by the VDC who have no girls listed. The boy actually coule be listed - they miss female entries a lot, fill them in months later for some reason. Anyway, not named yet, killed differently from others and similarly to each other, in a manner consistent with execution. This furthers the evidence for another rebel massacre of gender-segregated captives. --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:54, 26 August 2015 (UTC) and cleanup/additions Caustic Logic (talk) 12:39, 27 August 2015 (UTC)

Updates, worked-In above: a 3rd girl alleged, horrible hacked-open head, brains and scalp everywhere. Not a shelling victim. Knees unseen. And a 4th, it seems, less clear, carried by at a distance, if not mis-attributed, see above. --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:32, 27 August 2015 (UTC)and correction Caustic Logic (talk) 10:59, 29 August 2015 (UTC)

Drawn-and-Quartered Boy?

Attached to the burned faces study for now is this less clear case from a twitter photo about Douma Massacre, August 16. It might be easier to say if it's recycled from anywhere, a horrendous image. Not shared directly there, only semi-graphic pics. But a crop on his raw face, burned just like a mask over all his face and nothing else, worse than any others by far. And the scariest thing is what happened to roughly remove his arms at the elbows, and almost remove his legs at the knees. I had drawn-and-quartered - pulled apart between vehicles driving opposite ways - come into my mind, and it won't leave now. Wherever this picture is, it's no bomb or missile to detonate at each major joint like that (shoulders injured as well, hips unclear), I'm pretty sure of that. He's been pulled apart. Hopefully after death, but according to the medics in this rebel clinic, he's still alive at photo time. The full photo is really long, like his body now is. I hope that's some fakery. The oxygen bottle (?) tube doesn't seem to be in his mouth (pmr9 would know what that means) I'm glad this one isn't apparently on video.--Caustic Logic (talk) 12:54, 26 August 2015 (UTC)

It looks as if the doctor has given up on trying to insert an endotracheal tube and is attempting a tracheostomy instead. I think it's possible that the limb injuries could be explained by high-speed impacts or crushing. But he circumscribed burn of the entire face and nowhere else is hard to explain - why would only the face be burned if it was an explosion? Pmr9 (talk) 22:08, 27 August 2015 (UTC)
Thanks for that. High-speed impact with weird dynamics, or crushing, could do this, but I think those would leave marks on the body. --Caustic Logic (talk) 22:29, 27 August 2015 (UTC)
Updates, worked-In above: no, split-off from above and emboldened: Douma Market Attack: "Assad Bombs" PULLING Children Apart? (anyone worried, it's no more graphic, photographically...) --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:32, 27 August 2015 (UTC)

Listed Victims

Actual number questionable, but many at least have picture supports - actual names and relations, as well as age-gender, and other information, all questionable but, lacking made-up guesses, it's what we have and could be accurate. --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:11, 29 August 2015 (UTC)

Table (incomplete)

Citing:

(note: same image-list is cited by Eric Draister (who can read Arabic? or has a source who can? apparently. he cited 3 women to Ziad's 2, and Ziad - not the list - goofed #10) --Caustic Logic (talk) 11:56, 30 August 2015 (UTC)
(note: he's got a few goofs, but the VDC has at least one too. And in Ziad's defense the LCC list is in small resolution, with a techno-Arabic font that might be hard to read) --Caustic Logic (talk) 05:59, 31 August 2015 (UTC)
  • Vid (mainly the list of DID videos here)
  • Arabic/other: from VDC or video title, any other sources (none yet)

Ordering from VDC's, earliest entries first - order matches LCC up to a point. AM = Adult Male, etc. - using VDC's, except where challenged then ??. nl = not listed in that source. --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:11, 29 August 2015 (UTC)

Victims by Source
#,G VDC LCC Trans. Vid Arabic/Other
1 AM Kassem al-Mansi 1 Kaasim Al-Mansiy VDC Arabic كاسم المنسي
2 AM Sameir al-Hamwi 2 Sameer Al-Hammoori Abu Salaah DID20 VDC Arabic سمير الحموري
3 AM Ahmad Abdulnafe 3 Ahmad ‘Abdul-Naafi’ VDC أحمد عبد النافع
4 AM Moufaq Fouad al-Hamrawi 4 Muwaffaq Fu’aad Al-Hamrawi Abu Shaakir
5 AM Mahmoud Mahdar al-Shameih 5 Mahmoud Mahdhar Al-Shaamiyya Abu Sayyaah
6 AM Omar Muhder al-Shameih 6 ‘Umar Mahdhar Al-Shaamiyya Abu Faaris
7 AM Ibraheem Abdulaziz Sweidan 7 Ibraaheem ‘Abdul-‘Azeez Suwaydaan Abu Maaher
8 AM Mahmoud Rateb Hejazi Known as Abo Ata 8 Mahmoud Raatib Hijaazi Abu ‘Ataa
9 AM Omar Khaleil Kareim Known as Abo Khaleil 9 ‘Umar Khaleel Kareem (Abu Khaleel) DID4
10 AF Hanein al-Daas 10 Hanbal Al-Da’aas (AM, typo?) DID16 حنين(Hanin, visibly female)
11 AM Kassem Abdullah Sheikh al-Shabab 11 Kaassim ‘Abdullah Shaykh Al-Shabaab
12 AM Mohammad Omar al-Sheikh Muhammad ‘Umar Al-Shaykh Abu Yaassir
13 AM Basheir al-Tout Basheer Al-Toot Abu Raatib DID10
14 AM Fahed al-Mbayed 16 Fahd Al-Mubayyidh Abu Yaaseen


15 AM Quteibah Jaradeh 15 Abu Nizaar Jaraada


16 AM Ibraheem al-Afa 14 Abu Riyaadh Al-‘Afaa


17 AM Khaled Abdo Meikeh 17 Khaalid ‘Abduh Mu’ayka DID32


18 AM Abo Nizar Jaradeh
19 AM Khaled Abdulhakeem Khabeih 19 ‘Abdul-Hakeem Khibya DID15
20 AM Ibraheem Ali Badran 20 Ibraaheem ‘Ali Badraan
21 AM Abdulrahman Younes 21 ‘Abdul-Rahmaan Yunus DID17
22 AM Imad eildein Younes 22 ‘Imaadeddeen Yunus DID17
23 AM Zaher Ezz el-Dein 23 Zaaher ‘Izzeddeen
24 AM Maher Zanoub [sic] (Arabic is Mohammed) 24 Muhammad Zannoob
25 AM Khaled Hadeideh 25 Khaalid Hadeeda
26 AM Raed Kheiti 27 Raald (sic) Khayti (Probably Raa`id) DID29
27 AM Muhieldein Numan 28 Muhyi-Al-Deen Nu’maan
28 CM Khaled al-Tout AM 29. Khaalid Al-Toot DID1 (boy, age 10-12) خالد التوت
29 AM Subhi Mahmoud Balleh 30 Subhi Bililla
30 AM Ahmad al-Barzawi 31 Ahmad Al-Barzaawi
31 AM Waleid Yassen Hajazi 32 Waleed Yaaseen Hijaazi DID34
32 CM Jehad Waleed Hejazi 33 Jihaad Waleed Hijaazi DID34
33 CM Mustafa Waleed Hajazi 34 Mustafaa Waleed Hijaazi DID34
34 AM Khaled Younes 35 Khaalid Yunus
35 AM Alaa Abduldayem 36 ‘Alaa` ‘Abdul-Kareem VDC Arabic علاء عبد الدايم = Dayem, LCC Arabic = Karrem
36 AM Hisham Arbash 37 Hishaam ‘Areesh DID35
37 AM Ahmad Khalil al-Ghazzawi
38


53 CM Zuheir al-Masri, AM 54 Zuhayr Al-Masri DID23 child martyr Zuhair al-Masri (visually a boy) الطفل زهير المصري (video title)


54 AM Sami Shehab
55 AM Hamzah al-Sheivouni




68 AM Yaseen al-Aswad


69 AM Mohammad al-Aswad


70 AM Ali Omar al-Sheikh Omar
71 AM Ahmad Balleh
72 AM Hassan Mohammad Marjaneh
73 AM Mohammad Saeid Khalil
74 AM Waheed Ajeineh
75 AM Abdullah al-Barzawi
76 AM Fayez Kabkab
77 AM Yosra Sheikh al-Deiah 78 Yusraa Shaykh Al-Dhab’ah (?) (POSSIBLE FEMALE) VDC يسرى شيخ الضيعة
78 AM Omar Abdulhaq 79 ‘Umar ‘Abdul-Haqq
79 AM Hamzah Injeileh 80 Hamza Injayla
80 AM Omar Yousef
81 AM Saleem al-Hameid
82 AM Yousef Layla
83 AM Bassam al-Fustuqi
84 AM Imad Kheiti 85 ‘Imaad Khayti
85 AM Hani Hasan Harmoush (from Otaya) 86 Haani Harmoosh
86 AM Fares Kareem 87 Faaris Kareem
87 AM Akram Murjaneh 88 Akram Mirjaana


88 AM Ezzo Mehbani 89 ‘Izzu Mahbaani
89 AM Mohammad Subhi Zeidlati 90 Muhammad Subhi Zaydalaati
90 AM Naeim Abdulhadi 91 Na’eem ‘Abdul-Haadi
91 AM Fayez al-Jroudi AM 92 Faayiz Al-Jaroodi
92 AM Waleed al-Sheghri 93 Waleed Mahmoud Al-Shughuri
93 AM Yousef Abd al-Kareem Hashem (from Otaya) 94 Yusuf Haashim
94 AM Ghassan al-Daj 95 Ghassaan Al-Hajj
95 AM Amein al-Daj 96 Ameen Al-Hajj DID26 أمين الدج (al-Dajj)
96 AM Unidentified 1 nl
97 AM Samer Aloush nl
98 CM Hassan Ibraheem al-Marhoum nl
99 CM Hussam Ibraheem al-Marhoum nl
100 AM Abdulrazzaq Mohammad Rajab AM 156196 photo nl
101 AM Mohammad Yaseen Henen AM nl
102 Omar Kareem al-Quatli AM nl


103 Unidentified 1 nl
104 Unidentified 2 nl
105 Unidentified 3 nl
106 Unidentified 4 nl
107 Unidentified 5 nl
108 Unidentified 6 nl


109 Unidentified 7 nl
110 Unidentified 8 nl
111 Unidentified 9 nl
112 Unidentified 2 AM 156374 nl
113 Unidentified 3 AM 156375 nl
114 Omar Ahmad al-Mleih AM 156377 nl
115 AM Mohammad Fayez Harmoush AM (from Otaya) 156407 nl
116 AF Dalal Samir Harmoush (from Otaya) 156408 nl
117 AM Khaled Fahed al-Toukhi AM 156480 nl
118 M nl 98 Husaam Al-Halbooni
119 M nl 99 Sameer Al-Hammoori
120 M nl 100 Yaasser Sulaymaan
121 CM nl 101 The child Ahmad Al-Jaroodi Ahmed Al-Jroudi, infant DID33
122 M nl 102 Ibraaheem Khibya
123 Rajab Ajeineh from East Ghota, died 8-17, from Douma shelling, delay unexplained
124 AM Yaser Fayez al-Festeqi from Erbeen, has dead photo, appears young - barely adult. died 8-19 from Douma market attack, not a new one. (?)
125? AM nl nl DID18 خالد محمد زنوب (Khalid Mohammed Znoub) (pos. collaps with 24 - may be Mohammed Zanoub, or a son of)


Recurring Family Names

In other attacks in the Douma area, even just keeping it narrowed to alleged market attacks so far, several family names keep popping up. Again these may or may not be the real names, or reflect a real family connection (maybe with a name-for-name swap system). And then any actual relation could be close, distant, alleged, irrelevant, etc. Some of these are repeated from above, others recur between other attacks. (incomplete) --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:22, 11 September 2015 (UTC)

  • August 12 25 dead under the note "Several people martyred in a massacre due to regime's army air forces' several raids on the city." (imagery, not VDC, puts it as a partly market massacre) 24 men, 1 boy. No videos. Names: al-Sheikh, Arbash, Masri, al-Daj, Dalati x2, Al-Ali
  • June 30 12 dead under the note "several people martyred in a massacre due to the regime air forces' shelling of a market" 3 generic videos included with each entry. Unusually gender-mixed, 7 men, 3 boys, 1 woman, 1 girl. The girl and one boy are named al-Tout (a man and a burned-faced boy on Aug. 16). The names Seyroul and Shehab at least also appear in both attacks.
  • June 15, 2014 8 dead under the note "Several people martyred in a massacre due to the explosion on a car bomb near the Grand Mosque in the market, it was first thought that the reason of death is the shelling." 6 men, one woman, one girl. Ilham Mohammad Hejazi adult female: (video video (Also Nabki - shared by an odd Ghouta massacre victim in Douma)

Name frequency: All

  • Seyroul, all, Arabic = 67 killed, almost all of them in/from Douma

2 killed 8/24, 1 8/30, 1 each 8/16, 6/30, 6/16, 6/6, several in 2014 from Sept. to year's end.

  • Dalati = 89, 1 a day through July 2015. some in Douma, more in Zabadany, almost all in Douma civilians, those in Zabadany FSA.
  • Al-Daj = 29 mostly Douma
  • Hijazi = 224, mostly not Douma.
  • al-Tout = 26, all but 1 in Douma, mostly civilian, some rebels - 2 rebel al-Touts killed this year, 4 in 2013, none in 2014. Children: beside 2 in a June 30 market attack - a boy and a girl - a man and a boy died in the Aug 16 market attack, and then 3 more children died on August 30 - a boy and 2 girls "due to the shelling." --Caustic Logic (talk) 04:43, 13 September 2015 (UTC)
I just ran across one of these, apparently a Caesar photos victim Mohammad Khaled al-Tout, from Douma. "Martyred under torture in the regime`s prisons where he was arrested in the 10'th month in 2012 while he was taking his daughter to Jeroud hospital for treatment, Date of death unknown accurately." Not clear what happened to his daughter, but they starved him a bit and then gouged his eyes out by the photo included. --Caustic Logic (talk) 05:32, 1 January 2016 (UTC)

Precedents

  • Monitor on Douma Market Attack: Precedents Covers patterns with market bombings and likely false flag attacks in Bosnia in the 1990s, some relevant precedents from the Syrian conflict.

One case mentioned there deserves special analysis here, a bizarre precedent speaking to fighter jets bombing markets, and to the need for a more professional "no fly zone." August 3, 2015 - rebel-held Ariha, Idlib province (recently conquered, well after Idlib, will be another Islamist occupation like in Douma). War News Updates reports 27 killed and dozens wounded "after a Syrian army fighter jet crashed into a marketplace in the Syrian town of Ariha in Idlib province." Citing Reuters citing locals, they say civilians were mainly killed, and "The plane had dropped a bomb on the main Bazaar street at low altitude only seconds before it crashed," Ghazal Abdullah, a resident who was close to the incident, told Reuters." The SOHR reported that the jet was not shot down, so all damage should be from its bombs, not any embarrassing shoot-down into the market.

Or, less-obvious to me ... are they saying the jet bombed the market then crashed in without being shot down? Seriously, are they hearing regime jets are sucide-attacking markets now just to kill ... who? VDC lists 39 Idlib dead, nearly all men, a few boys, no surprise ... this is Islamist market alleged makeup, at least on fatal days. ?? --Caustic Logic (talk) 23:36, 8 September 2015 (UTC)

But, whatever proportion was killed by what - and however embarrassing vs. useful it proves - Getty Images/Anadolu Agency has a photo to prove it came down. This says 35 were killed but shows in this earlier precedent for jets attacking markets, there was proof. Some flag-marked jet wreckage, next to melons. It looks arguably natural how it came together, but ... to me, the metal appears to be quite weathered, having spent some time in this same crumpled state. From the close-cropped photo, the size of material appears easily transported and planted. If there's much more of it, maybe not. If this jet was shot down long ago and had its wreckage saved as a prop and later dropped here to prove jet-on-market action ... what does that say about later alleged jet-on-market attacks? --Caustic Logic (talk) 23:01, 8 September 2015 (UTC)

  • Monitor on Massacre Marketing: Other Market Attacks (incomplete) All told, the VDC lists 980 civilians killed by attacks on markets. Two are "regime's army, rank: civilian," killed in market attacks by ISIS and FSA that killed one person each. 978 are civilians killed in attacks allegedly by the regime (unless Israelis or US-coalition forces have hit any markets - their victims are included as martyrs, just not acknowledged rebel ones, usually). For those hung up on the all-male aspect for the August 16 attack (includes me), it's standard. 803 market victims are men, 97 are boys, and they list 55 women and 23 girls killed. That's 92 percent male victims specifically in the whole body of market attacks. Over half the dead are killed in aerial attacks, just under half by other: shelling of a market, explosion at (car bomb) and shooting at (mostly in the early days before the regime got enough bombs to really get going?) Dozens and dozens of incidents, killing from 1 to 152 people each, interesting patterns. --Caustic Logic (talk) 11:16, 11 September 2015 (UTC)

Ariha, November 29

Another attack on the Ariha market, this time by Russian aircraft, reported on 29 November 2015, with "at least 18 dead" according to SOHR. Videos show bodies laid out in a makeshift morgue, all adult males as far as I can see Pmr9 (talk) 19:19, 29 November 2015 (UTC)

See this elsewhere, Daily Mail, perhaps taking it from this twitter. And this. Also aljazeera. Nothing of value in Russian sources so far. Video appears staged--camera focuses on a spot of next blast before it goes off, than a small charge goes off, not doing much damage to those nearby... Place/time/circumstances uncertain... --Resup (talk) 21:33, 29 November 2015 (UTC)
Ariha again, is it? I saw al Jazeera reporting 46+ dead or 60+ per SOHR. Sounds suspiciously high. In some quick tallying, VDS already has 28 victims listed - 24 men, 4 boys. Quite normal. --Caustic Logic (talk) 02:37, 30 November 2015 (UTC)
Checking VDC again - it's still 28, with some added and others that didn't belong. these 23 from Ariha (19 men, 5 boys) and these 5 men from other towns but died there. No delayed deaths clearly listed. No names are obviously familiar. Mustafa Sharif Majouj was killed with 3 sons, Shareef Mustafa being over 18, the others listed as boys. 2 Qaddahs, 7 unidentified, no other repeat names. --Caustic Logic (talk) 07:18, 3 December 2015 (UTC)

October 30 Attack

Bodies in the same morgue on October 30, 2015

Another attack on the Douma markets was reported on 30 October 2015. White Helmets twitter account has a photo of what looks like the same schoolyard, with wrapped bodies and mention of more than 50 dead Pmr9 (talk) 12:08, 30 October 2015 (UTC)

AFP reports that "An AFP photographer at the scene said Thursday's attack had wounded hospital staff, limiting the treatment available for the wounded on Friday. He said the attack on Friday took place as residents gathered at the market, leaving corpses piled on top of each other." There was apparently an air strike on "a market and a hospital" on Thursday, followed by "more than a dozen" rockets on Friday Pmr9 (talk) 12:19, 30 October 2015 (UTC)
White Helmets tweeted The count from Douma (Damascus) currently sits at 61. 55 have been identified, 6 corpses remain unidentified. This tweet says Syria bombed the hospital, while SNC says Russia bombed the market, this one says the same and this by the same person says "a dozen ground2ground-rockets hit the rescue services at market area in Douma well known diabolic strategy by regime." (So mapping out an arc of surface rockets again may or may not matter) Mangled bodies at Annatr school morgue. This guy was blocked by WH for criticizing their reliability. --Caustic Logic (talk) 23:07, 30 October 2015 (UTC)

More here, plus photos. -- Petri Krohn (talk) 23:48, 30 October 2015 (UTC)

A bit more: Al-Jazeera mixes up the attacks: "A medical centre run by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) was bombed on Friday killing 70 and leaving at least 550 wounded." MSF gives those numbers for the Friday attack but says the clinic was hit day before, like everyone else, noted the blast injuries were the most severe they've ever seen. "This was an extremely violent bombing,” said the director of a nearby MSF-supported hospital who assisted in the first wave of the mass-casualty response. “The wounds were worse than anything we’ve seen before, and there were large numbers of dead. We had to do many amputations. And a lot of the wounded had massive blood-loss, which means we needed large amounts of IV fluid and blood bags. We did our best to cope, but the number of critically wounded was far beyond what we could handle with our limited means.” What might explain that? People just packed in a room with the bomb? Just luck of the draw? --Caustic Logic (talk) 07:32, 3 November 2015 (UTC)

VDC: 79 martyrs from Damascus suburbs, mostly Douma, killed by warplane shelling 10/29-11/01. 8 on the 29th, 11 after the 30th (may be just died from injuries or include new attack victims), only 60 on the 30th, so 70-71 seems right for the Friday attack. Of those 71 killed Friday and after, 60 are men, as it usually is. SOme repeat names, Haddad, Mdawar, another unlucky al-Tout man, etc. ... 3 boys, 5 women, 3 girls round off what VDC records for who died buying veggies and/or rescuing on this day.

Bombed from helicopter?

The explosions are most likely the result of 4 bombs dropped from a Mi-8 or Mi-24 helicopter. Here is a video of a similar attack.

-- Petri Krohn (talk) 07:33, 12 February 2016 (UTC)

Petri, did you miss all the #Arc of Attack? stuff from above? The answer was yes, and it points to surface rockets 820 meters south. This fits with a helicopter attacks just as badly as it does with a jet attack. --Caustic Logic (talk) 13:28, 12 February 2016 (UTC)
Of course, you even helped with that, and thanks. The impacts also have direction of fire, from the south - helicopter direction of fire would be from above. Plus the victims seem to be hostages killed before the rockets landed, etc ... --Caustic Logic (talk) 04:39, 15 February 2016 (UTC)

Maarat al-Nouman market attack 19 April 2016

An alleged air attack on the market area in Maarat al-Nouman on 19 April killed

"Syrian peace talks appeared all but doomed on Tuesday after air strikes killed about 40 people in a crowded vegetable market in rebel territory, with the opposition saying a truce was finished and it would keep out of negotiations indefinitely" (Reuters)

Posted videos show damage to the market, and interviews with "witnesses" including two White Helmets who report that it was an air attack. Other videos show injured children in hospital. No sex/age breakdown of the fatalities reported yet.

Large-scale unrest has been reported in Maarat al-Nouman, with demonstrations against Nusra's "heavy-handed" methods. The WP reports "large rallies including children" and that protesters set fire to Nusra's facilities. Yet "Assad" apparently chose to make an example of the locals with this market attack.

This needs a page to itself - not sure how to create one. Pmr9 (talk) 18:43, 21 April 2016 (UTC)

If you try to open a new non existent page in browser, for example such a page http://acloserlookonsyria.shoutwiki.com/wiki/Maarat_al-Nouman_market_attack_19_April_2016 , it will give an option to create such page (click on "edit this page", than the usual editing...) --Resup (talk) 20:40, 21 April 2016 (UTC)

Resup, good call. That's how I still do it, weird as it is (is there another way?). I don't think this event warrants a page, but there should at least be one for market attacks in general. In fact, I'll start that now. --Caustic Logic (talk) 06:15, 22 April 2016 (UTC)
Alleged Market Attacks in Syria --Caustic Logic (talk) 13:42, 22 April 2016 (UTC)