On the afternoon of Tuesday, January 21, 2025, two civilians, including a woman, were killed, and between 20 and 70 were injured, including four journalists and three female officials, when two alleged Turkish drone strikes hit a group of civilians gathered near Tishreen Damn in the Manbij countryside, east of Aleppo, Syria.

The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria issued a statement, claiming that a Turkish drone attack on the gathering of civilians led to the death of two people and the injury of 20 others, including four journalists. However, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) claimed that 70 civilians had been injured with varying degrees of injury. The SOHR also emphasized that the number of deaths was likely to rise due to the severity of some injuries.

The Facebook account of Kobani Al Hadath revealed the identity of a woman who was killed, Hazna Yousef Abdi, from the village of Kahli Kograt. An image of a middle-aged woman with red-brown hair gathered in a bun, wearing a black coat and a colorful scarf, standing at the seaside is included. The identity of the second victim remains unknown.

According to the North Press Agency, three female officials were injured in the attack: Hamrin Ali, co-vice president of the Autonomous Administrations’ executive council, Nadia Youssef, co-president of the Fuel Directorate in al-Jazeera canton, and Samira Hajj Ali, Co-president of the Education Authority in North and East Asia.

Hawar News reported that the incident took place during a protest against the Turkish military’s attacks on civilians. According to ANF news, the Tashreen Dam is “a crucial facility for ensuring water and energy supply,” highlighting that the attack has worsened the hardships faced by the local population. Both NPA and ANF news stated that the Democratic Autonomous Administration issued a statement condemning the attacks, referring to them as “war crimes.” They concluded with a message of compassion: “May the martyrs rest in peace, and wishing a swift recovery for the injured.”

Several activists posted images and videos on Facebook to document the event. In particular, the SOHR shared an image of the strike’s aftermath, where three heavily damaged vehicles can be seen. Arta.FM shared an image showing two people leaning over a body lying on the ground.

Facebook account Kobani Al Hadath posted a video showing the immediate aftermath of the strike. An injured woman wearing a red pullover is seen lying on the ground. She is showing a victory sign and saying, “The victory is coming for sure.” A group of people was carrying the body of an injured man, and traces of blood can be seen on the ground.

A video shared by the SOHR on Facebook showed the moment the Turkish military attacked the Tishreen Dam, where a group of civilians were standing. The civilians were performing a dance, and then two drones hit several people standing in the middle.

Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strike to the Turkish military.