On Sunday, 20 October 2024, an artillery shelling allegedly by the Turkish military resulted in the death of three children – Muslat Zaki al-Ghadib, Rasool Munadi al-Ghadib, and Faisal Ghazi al-Ghadib – while they were herding sheep. The incident took place in the al-Fatisah village in the eastern countryside of Ain Issa city in the Raqqa governorate of Syria.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on the incident that “Raqqa Governorate: 3 children of varying ages were martyred as a result of artillery shelling carried out by Turkish forces and their loyal factions on the town of Ain Issa in northern Raqqa countryside, within areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces, amidst a state of panic prevailing among the residents for fear of renewed shelling on the town.”

Hawar News, Roj News, Rahani TV, and other local sources provided the names of the children but did not report their ages and the details of their injuries. As all the children had the same surname, they were probably related, but this was not confirmed by the sources.

According to multiple news sources, including ANF News, the children were struck while herding sheep in the eastern countryside of Ain Issa. The Facebook page, Rojava Post, shared a video showing the site of the attack, including personal items such as shoes and a cap belonging to the victims.

While sources identified the three deceased victims, there is no information on whether there were other injuries in this incident.

Where sources identified belligerents, all sources attributed the shelling to the Turkish military.