On Thursday, May 22, 2025, three members of the Syrian Civil Defense (White Helmets) explosive remnants of war clearance team—Mamoun Al-Omar, Jalal Tako, and Shaaban Shushan—were killed by a remotely controlled explosive device while they were carrying out a mission to remove a suspicious object recently planted on a railway near the village of Karah in the northeastern Hama suburbs. The area is under the control of the Syrian transitional government.
According to information obtained by the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) from reliable local sources, a report was received by the Souran Civil Defense Center about a strange object on the railway line between Aleppo and Damascus, which is still in service. Upon the team’s arrival at the site, three members, wearing their official uniforms and protective gear, went to inspect the object, which was later revealed to be an explosive device or a mine intended for remote detonation. Before they could move away, it detonated, killing them instantly.
As of this writing, the identity of who planted the explosive device remains unknown. SNHR is continuing its investigations to gather more information about the incident and fully document it.
Legal Conclusions
- Planting a remote-controlled explosive device on a railway track or in a vital area constitutes an unlawful act that threatens the right to life and bodily integrity. Whether the attack was directed or not, placing the device in a public location without a direct military target is classified as prohibited indiscriminate attacks.
- The use of a remote-controlled explosive device in a vital area constitutes an attack on the safety of the population, violating Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees the right to life, and Article 9, which guarantees the right to personal security.
- The area is under the control of the transitional government, which is legally obligated to ensure the general protection of civilians in areas under its control, even if it was not directly responsible for the bombing.
- Deliberately targeting civilians and Syrian Civil Defense teams using remote-controlled explosive devices in public facilities (such as train tracks) can be classified as terrorist acts against the civilian population, especially if it is proven that they were deliberately planted in a vital, non-military location.
SNHR strongly condemns the killing of three members of the Civil Defense crews while carrying out their duties, and the bombing operation, which is likely a deliberate and direct targeting of this team.
In this context, SNHR recommends the following:
- Conduct an immediate, transparent, and impartial investigation to determine who planted the explosive device and examine the security failures that allowed the attack to occur, with the results being made public.
- The controlling local authorities (the transitional government) bear responsibility for security, and we call on them to tighten control over public spaces and enhance preventive measures to protect civilians from similar risks.
- Compensating victims and their families, and providing health and psychological care to the injured, especially children, in accordance with the principles of justice and reparation.
- Strengthening efforts to remove explosive devices, explosive ordnance, and remnants of war through specialized teams operating under the supervision of organizations such as UNMAS and documenting potentially hazardous areas.
- Donor countries should support local teams, organizations, and official bodies specialized in removing mines and remnants of war, to reduce risks and protect the lives of civilians.
