On Saturday, February 15, 2025, a journalist was killed, and at least two other people were reportedly injured, in an airstrike alleged to have been carried out by a Turkish warplane in the vicinity of the Tishreen Dam in the Manbij countryside of Aleppo, northeastern Syria.

The person killed was identified as a Syrian Kurdish journalist, Akid Roj, who was covering local events and civilian activities in the area at the time of the attack.

Akid Roj (also known as Shervan Saydo or Shervan Sido) was originally from Afrin, located in the northern countryside of Aleppo, born into a proudly Syrian family of whom many are reported to have also participated in resistance activities and are described as having become martyrs to their cause. Alongside his work in the Manbij region, Roj was noted for his extensive coverage of resistance in the Afrin, al-Shahba, and other Aleppo regions, and for documenting the conditions of displaced people in al-Shahba for many years.

Following the strike, ANF News published what was described as Akid Roj’s “last message,” written amidst the sound of bombing. In his message, he expressed an unwavering hope for the future liberation of his home city. He stated: “Yes, I may not live to see victory myself, but I believe that my city, Afrin, will be liberated one day“. Roj emphasized, “Kurdistan deserves [independence], and Afrin, its land and olives deserve it“. A friend posted, via Facebook, a tribute lamenting his loss, recalling a promise: “Akid, why did you leave us in the middle of the road? Didn’t you promise me that we would return to Afrin together?”

Akid is pictured many times with a camera and recording equipment, as well as in a press vest. While Akid is seen in at least one image wearing a camouflage uniform, all sources refer to Akid’s current role as working in journalism, and at the time he was killed, he was reportedly covering local events.

Eyewitnesses cited in a Facebook post reported that the bombardment also resulted in a number of people being injured, who were transferred to medical points for treatment, though no precise toll was given; the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) listed the injured count as “unknown”.

Attribution to Turkish forces was explicitly made by multiple sources reporting on the incident, including the SOHR, which referred to a “Turkish warplane”, NPA News, which referred to a “Turkish bombardment”, and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Media Center, which confirmed he was targeted by “Turkish occupation army aircraft”. A civilian-made Facebook post also attributed the bombing to a warplane belonging to the “terrorist Turkish occupation”.