Up to 26 IDPs Killed Due to a Suicide Bomb in a Convoy of Displaced Fleeing Deir ez-Zor

At least 26 displaced persons were killed and more than 61 others injured when a car bomb exploded in a queue of many displaced from the disaster area of Deir ez-Zur[1], to al-Hasakeh province which is under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces/SDF[2], and according to Syrians for Truth and Justice STJ reporter, the blast took place in the Abu Ruwaished[3] area in  Deir ez-Zur on Friday, November 17, 2017.

Thaer al-Ali, 35, a displaced person who flees from Deir ez-Zur and a survivor of the blast, spoke to STJ about the explosion, he said:

"On Wednesday, November 15, 2017, I fled with my family from Deir ez-Zur towards al-Hasakeh, owing to the intensification of the fighting in the east side, in addition to intense bombardment by the regime forces.  Our journey lasted about two full days due to the gravity of the road and the severity of the battles; at 11:15 a.m. on Friday, November 17, 2017, we reached Abu Ruwaished area where there was a line of about 25 cars belonging to fleeing fugitives whom took a break in that area. About half an hour later, a large truck loaded with cattle moved towards us, it exploded in the middle of the queue without any warning; luckily, I was at the front, I did not hurt, but some shrapnel hit my car. Given the intensity of the pressure, I laid down on the ground, and when I stood up, I saw pieces of the dead everywhere and black smoke rising from the burning cars."

Ali said that the ambulance cars of the Kurdish Red Crescent had flocked to the scene about two hours after the blast, alluding the bad condition of the wounded and injured, as many of them were exposed to either amputation or burns owing the severity of the explosion.

Munther Mohammed, 55, one of the displaced, who also escaped from Deir ez-Zur toward al-Hasakeh, told STJ reporter that on November 19, 2017, he decided to flee with his family consisting of three girls, two young men and the mother. However, they got shocked by the explosion of the suicide bomber conducted near them, and he continued in this regard

"When we saw the cattle truck, we did not pay any attention to it, and moments later we heard a strong explosion. Thank God, we did not get hurt, but when we saw what happened, we see the smoke rising from the parking lot, I rushed with my family to the explosion site.  I wish I had not gone there, as I saw bodies that completely distorted, and there was only burnt flesh left; I saw people burning in their cars, in fact it was such a terrible sight.”

In another testimony by Abla Ghadeer, a fugitive survivor from Deir ez-Zur, she said that she was injured in her foot, one of her hands and her face due to the shrapnel that resulted from the severity of the explosion, she continued:

"On November 14, 2017, I displaced from Deir ez-Zur with my family that is composed of my parents and brothers. We travelled through the "Muhalaq Road" outside the city, heading towards its eastern countryside. Anyway, we were stopping every two hours because of the bombardment of the warplanes, and three days later, we arrived at Sour-Deir ez-Zur road. There, we met some of the other displaced people, and we all went to Abu Ruwaished area. At about 11:00 on Friday, November 17, 2017, while we were taking a break with the other displaced, we were shocked by the bombing. As a result, I lost consciousness and lied on the side of the road near my brothers, who were in good state, then Kurdish Red Crescent vehicles dispatched us to the national hospital in Al Hasakeh city."

The injured in this suicide bombing were transferred to the national hospital in al Hasakah and national hospital in Qamishli as well, according to STJ reporter, who could document the names of some of the injured displaced as follows:

• Wounded Men:

1. Ahmad Thaer  Dawood

2. Thaer Dawood Khalaf

3. Hussein Thaer Dawood

4. Sajed Khalil Barakat

5. Ghasan Jumah

6. Abdul Manaa Al-Darwish

7. Nasir al-Manaa

8. Shihab Ahmad

9. Abdullah Daham

10. Haythem  Daham

• The wounded children were:

1. Nazir Muhamed

2. Abd al-Elah Abdulqader

3. Maha Thaer Dawood

4. Asma Thaer Dawood

5. Mansor Kheder al-Ali

6. Abd al–Karim Abd

7. Saleh Abd

8. Yaqub Abd

9. Thurya Abd

10. Jinan Abd

11. Ahmad Abd

12. Rasoul Abd

13. Turkya Zuhair al-Ali

14. Khabash Awd

15. Rawa Shihab

16. Amnia Ayman

17. Aya Abdul Manaa

18. Abd al-Naser Manaa

19. Hatem al-Naser

20. Fouad al-Khalif

21. Dalal Kher Allah

22. Farah Shihab

23. Muhanad Fyad

24. Rahma Abd al-Aziz

25. Doua al-Gharbi

26. Yasmin al-Rahal

27. Fatima al-Rahal

28. Fahad Khalif

29. Hassan Samir

30. Abd al-Rahman Hmoud 

• The Wounded women were:

1. Israa Mahmoud

2. Raqya Shihab

3. Rasmia Abass

4. Bayda Khalid

5. Wadha Ukla

6. Shaimaa Ismail

7. Entisar Kher Allah

8. Laila Ali

9. Fatima Ahmad

10. Elaf Abass

11. Needa Ahmad Mustafa

12. Fadilah Mush’ab

13. Hiam al-Manaa

14. Sabrya Abdullah

15. Frial Abd

16. Kadija Awad

17. Kamela Awad

18. Raghad al-Fyyad

STJ had earlier published a report, about deaths of dozens of displaced fleeing from Deir ez-Zur toward al-Hasakeh, following the explosion of two car bombs on October 12, 2017.