Turkish Military in Iraq & Syria

Turkish Military in Iraq & Syria

An internally displaced Kurdish family in northern Iraq, 2016 (Maranie R. Staab)

Belligerent
Turkish Military
Country
Iraq
start date
end date
Civilian Harm Status
Belligerent Assessment
Declassified Documents
Infrastructure
text search
39 Results
sort by:
Sort by:
Incident date
Civilian deaths alleged
Civilian deaths confirmed by belligerent

Incident Code

TI092

Incident date

August 6, 2023

Location

قرية جنارتوي, Gnartuy Village, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq

Airwars assessment

On August 6th, 2023, an alleged Turkish drone strike hit Gnartuy village in Suliemaniah province, Iraq; according to Shafaq News, the strike killed one civilian and injured another, while Alaraby and Roj News reported that the strike injured two civilians.

Alaraby reported that one civilian was from Halabja and that another held Syrian Kurdish nationality, although information on the names or other information about those alleged wounded or killed cannot be found within the sources. The drone strike hit a civilian vehicle (a jeep) travelling between the Dukan and Khalkan district, and caused a fire to break out at the scene in addition to harming people.

Alaraby, speaking to security forces, reported that the drone’s provenance is unknown although a Kurdish security officer stated an investigation is underway, while both Shafaq News and Roj News alleged that the strike was Turkish. The Kurdish security officer stressed the strike “was not random, but targeted the vehicle specifically and not others” when speaking to Alaraby.

The incident occured in the morning.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Turkish Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Turkish Military
  • Turkish Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (3) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TI052

Incident date

December 7, 2020

Location

رشاوه, Vicinity of Reshava, Dohuk, Iraq

Geolocation

37.09909, 43.64744 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Subdistrict level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Three civilians were killed in alleged Turkish airstrikes on the town of Deraluk, Dohuk governorate, on December 7th, 2020, according to local sources. The bodies of the three men were found on December 12th.

On December 12th, Roj News reported: “On December 7th, three civilians from the Derelok district of Amed were bombed by Turkish planes while they were on their fields in the village of Zêwê. No news had been received from them since that day. The bodies of all three citizens were found today.”

Rudaw reported that the relatives Muhsin Speri (64), Hassan Sadiq (56) and Safar Sini (54) from the Nêrwehi tribe went camping on Mount Matin when their families lost contact with the men. According to the source, all three men were retired Peshmerga from Deraluk’s Amedi sub-district.

Sleman Speri, Muhsin’s brother, told Rudaw: “When he didn’t call after four days, we knew something was wrong… A few days ago we got news that Turkey had bombed the mountain.” The family then set out to search for the missing men.

Rudaw posted a video of the retrieving of the bodies of the victims. Arsala Mohammed, a relative of the victims, stated: “When we found the bodies, all three were badly mutilated. It was very, very bad. It was hard for us to come back here. The path was rocky and narrow. It took us half an hour to get the bodies down from the mountain.

The Turkish Ministry of Defence did confirm to have “neutralised” five PKK members in airstrikes on Gara Mountain, west of Deraluk, around the same time that the three men were killed, reported Rudaw.

Duhok province governor Ali Tatar responded to the incident, telling Kurdistan24: “Unfortunately, the PKK presence inside Kurdistan Region’s territories and the armed clashes with the Turkish army has become a cause of great destruction for the people living in those areas. (..) When people are trying to visit their lands and homes, you see them killed and injured by airstrikes, and these acts are inhumane.”

Adam Gnych, who reported on the incident, provided Airwars with excerpts from an interview with Baxtiyar Speri, Muhsin Speri’s son: “It was December 2nd, my father went to the mountains to look for wild bees, which he does seasonally to buy bread for the family. The economic crisis and corona have made it very hard for our family, so he had to go more often. He left on December 2nd, we found his corpse on December 12. For eight days no one informed us about what happened to them.”

Baxtiyar talked about finding the mens’ bodies: “When we found the bodies, Hassan and Safar were both close to where the rocket hit it, and my father was about 50 to 100 meters away from them. It was clear that he had been injured and had crawled in order to look for help…. They were hit by drones, and the rocket was mostly shrapnel… Safar’s body was cut to half, and Hassan lost a leg and an arm, but my father’s body was intact”.

According to the victims son the incident happened “far from the closest road, around three to four hours walking distance.”

Baxtyar said “This area has turned into to a military zone, we are losing our loved ones in the crossfire. We have to sneak into our own lands because the PKK doesn’t let us even light a fire, and the Turkish planes are dropping bombs every day…It doesn’t matter how much we cry for the Kurdish government, and even the government in Baghdad wouldn’t be able to do anything. Even the Turks can’t control the area and the PKK is using the Doski, Rekan and Nerwayi lands as they wish. Our lands would never be free from bloodshed.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Muhsin Haci
64 years old male killed
Sefer Selim
54 years old male killed
Hasan Sadiq
56 years old male killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (3 men)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military
  • Suspected target
    Unknown

Sources (11) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (9) [ collapse]

  • Baxtyar Speri greets mourners on the second day of his father’s funeral in the town of Deraluk, December 2020. Muhsin Speri, 64 was killed alongside Hassan Sadiq and Safar Sini whilst the men were on a foraging trip north of the town. (Image courtesy of The Guardian)
  • Muhsin Haci, Sefer Selim and Hesen Sadiq were killed in alleged Turkish strikes on Deraluk, Iraqi Kurdistan, on December 7th, 2020 (via Roj News).
  • Civilians at the site in the aftermath of alleged Turkish airstrikes on the town of Deraluk, Iraqi Kurdistan, on December 7th, 2020 (via @BaxtiyarGoran).
  • The aftermath of alleged Turkish airstrikes on the town of Deraluk, Iraqi Kurdistan, on December 7th, 2020 (via @BaxtiyarGoran).
  • Sefer Selim (54) was killed in alleged Turkish airstrikes on Deraluk on December 7th, 2020 (via @DefteraRes).
  • Hasan Sadiq (56) was killed in alleged Turkish airstrikes on Deraluk on December 7th, 2020 (via @DefteraRes).
  • Muhsin Haci (64) was killed in alleged Turkish airstrikes on Deraluk on December 7th, 2020 (via @DefteraRes).

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the valley in the vicinity of Reshava (رشاوه) village. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further. The generic coordinates for Reshava are: 37.09909, 43.64744.

Turkish Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Turkish Military
  • Turkish Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (3 men)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military
  • Suspected target
    Unknown

Sources (11) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TI081

Incident date

June 15, 2022

Location

سنونو, Sunin, Sinjar, Nineveh, Iraq

Geolocation

36.468563, 41.710257 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Exact location (via Airwars) level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Between one to five civilians were reportedly killed, and three to ten were injured in Sunin, Sinjar, Iraq, as a result of an attack by a Turkish drone on June 15th 2022.  Up to six militants were also reported killed in this attack.

One child, Salah Shifan Khader Nassou, aged 11 or 12, was reported as killed in this attack. Kurdistan 24 reported that he was killed by the strike while in his father’s shop nearby.  A few local sources reported that another of the deceased was the father or grandfather of Salah, Khader Nassau.

On the 24th of June, Kurdistan24 reported that Ibrahim Avdi Darwish, 45, had died as a result of wounds he had sustained during the strike in Sinjar on the 15th of June. Mr. Darwish worked for a local non-governmental organization, according to his family. He had six children.

Rudaw reported that “a health official from Sinun’s hospital told [the reporter] that the attack killed at least one person and injured 10 others, all civilians,” but that “Firat News Agency (ANF) affiliated with the PKK raised the toll of deaths to two, noting that there are no official numbers of those injured.”

Bas News reported that the Iraqi Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the drone strike and said that four civilians were killed in this attack, while Kurdistan 24 put the overall death count at six but did not specify if they were civilians or belligerents.

It also reports that one of the injured was a reporter for Çira TV, named Saleh Barjas, and another child.

Roj News reported that the Turkish attack also resulted in material damage to the Sunin Council building, which was also reported as PKK headquarters in other sources.  Kurdistan 24 reported that “Turkish airstikes targeted a Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) headquarters in Sinjar’s Sinin subdistrict, the Kurdistan Region Security Council’s (KRSC) Directorate General of Counter Terrorism (CTD) confirmed on Wednesday.”

Bas News and other local sources reported that this was an airstrike against the YBS Forces, a group affiliated with the PKK, and that several of its militants were killed or injured, according to Kurdistan Region’s Counter-Terrorism Unit. These reports differed however, and Qasim Shasho, a Peshmega commander told Bas News that the airstrike actually targeted the PKK-linked Ezidkhan Security Forces, because a meeting with the groups’ leaders was taking place.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (2)

Salah Shifan Khader Nassou
11 or 12 years old male killed
Khader Nassou
male reported as Father or Grandfather of Salah

The victims were named as:

Ibrahim Avdi Darwish
45 years old male killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 5
  • (1 child1–2 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    3–10
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military
  • Suspected target
    YPG/SDF
  • Belligerents reported killed
    6

Sources (29) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (11) [ collapse]

  • Salah Shifan Khader Nassou, reportedly killed by a Turkish drone in Sunin, Sinjar on June 15th 2022 (Image via شنكال سنجار مدينتي / Facebook)
  • Ibrahim Avdi Darwish succumbed to the injuries he sustained from the June 15 drone attack in Sinjar's Snuny (Photo: Submitted to Kurdistan 24)
  • Salah Nassou, reported to be killed by a Turkish drone was 11 or 12 years old (Image via Shinkal my city / Facebook)
  • The aftermath of a Turkish drone strike which killed one child, aged 11 or 12 on June 15th 2022 in Sinjar (Image via Shinkal my city / Facebook)
  • Kurdistan 24 reports from Sinjar at the aftermath of the reported Turkish drone strike on June 15th 2022 (Image via Kurdistan 24)
  • Aftermath of Turkish drone strike reported to have hit Sunin in Sinjar, on June 15th 2022 (Image via Bas News)
  • A reported Turkish drone hit Sinjar on June 15th 2022 (Image via Darkamaz)
  • @sebusher tweeted a photo of Salah Nassau, reportedly killed by a Turkish drone on June 15th 2022 (Image via Twitter)
  • @ahad_en reports from the alleged Turkish bombing on June 15th 2022 (Image via Twitter)
    A message from Salah's father, who was killed on June 15th 2022. Other reports indicated that Salah's father or grandfather was also killed in the strike (Image via @murad_ismael / Twitter)
  • @ahad_en reports from the alleged Turkish bombing on June 15th 2022 (Image via Twitter)
    A message from Salah's father, who was killed on June 15th 2022. Other reports indicated that Salah's father or grandfather was also killed in the strike (Image via @murad_ismael / Twitter)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention a strike on a stationery shop in the town of Sunin (سنونو). Analyzing audio-visual material from sources, Airwars has narrowed down the location to these exact coordinates: 36.468563, 41.710257.

Turkish Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Turkish Military
  • Turkish Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 5
  • (1 child1–2 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    3–10
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military
  • Suspected target
    YPG/SDF
  • Belligerents reported killed
    6

Sources (29) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TI093

Incident date

August 6, 2023

Location

جمانكي, Jamanki area, Dohuk, Iraq

Airwars assessment

On August 6th, 2023, an alleged Turkish airstrike or drone strike in Jamanki, Dohuk governorate struck a car and killed a civilian named Alain Ismail and seriously injured a civilian named Hashem Shaker.

According to Altaakhi and Kurdistan 24 reports, Alain Ismail had been married five months before he tragically passed away. Further information about Alain Ismail and Hashem Shaker cannot be found within the sources. The Jamanki area where the strike took place is a well known summer resort area, and on a major road connecting districts within the governorate. Roj News, Attakhi, Kurdistan 24, and the Baghdad Times all allege that a Turkish aircraft was responsible, although Ankara has not taken responsibility for the strike or the civilian casualties.

The incident occured in the evening.

The victims were named as:

Alain Ismail آلان إسماعيل
Age unknown killed
Hashem Shaker هاشم شاكر
Age unknown injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Turkish Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Turkish Military
  • Turkish Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TI038B

Incident date

June 17, 2021

Location

سيدان, Sidan, Dohuk, Iraq

Geolocation

37.086619, 43.930892 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Three civilians were reported killed in an alleged Turkish airstrike on Sidan village, Amedi district on June 19 th 2020, according to local media reports.

Darkamazi.net named the three victims as Aazad Mahdi Shji, Damhat Omar Ormari and Mukhlis Adam Kukri. The source said that “on Friday, June 19th, 2020, the warplanes of the occupying Turkish state had targeted the areas of Niruh-Rikan and Barwari Bala, and that three martyrs from the people of Southern Kurdistan were near their villages.

Two citizens were killed in the vicinity of Sidan village in the Nairoh-Rikan region, and another citizen in Barwari Bala district, in the vicinity of the village of “Darkla Messi Bey”, was killed as a result of the Turkish shelling of the area.

Mahdi Rekani, the father of Azad Mahdi who was among the victims, said that “His son Azad Mahdi aged 26, and two friends, Mukhlis Adam and Deman Omar both aged 28, all construction workers, were heading to Shaji, a village in Sheladiz sub district, for a picnic. Rekani, who had been speaking to his son on the phone, said that between 10:00 and 11:30 a.m., Mahdi parked his car on a small road outside a village near Sida village. As they were walking from the car, an airstrike killed all three.”

Inzar, Mukhlis’ brother, told Rudaw English he was informed at 1 pm that Mukhlis had been killed in a Turkish airstrike. Inzar went to the site where he found the dead bodies of his brother and one of his friends.  Upon returning later he said he found the body of the another friend.

“When I reached the scene, I found out that two [bombs] hit the area – one hit a [pickup] vehicle and the other near it. However, no one was in the vehicle. There was a mobile phone in the vehicle, it belonged to one of the martyrs,” Rekani told Rudaw.

While collecting the bodies of his brother and his friends, Inzar said he saw PKK fighters arrive at the scene to retrieve their two dead colleagues.

Milat Rekani, who recorded footage of the aftermath, told Rudaw English: “I saw two other dead bodies which belonged to the PKK,” Rekani recounted, adding that the dead bodies of the PKK fighters were “charred.”

In April 2021, the Guardian published a piece on Turkey attacks in Iraq and interviewed the family of Mukhis Adam, whose daughter, three months old by the time of the interview, was born after he was killed.

According to the paper, “Adam’s car was hit by a Turkish airstrike while he was on the way to a picnic in June last year.”

His family burned the photographs they had of him in an act of grief.

Adam Gnych, who reported on the incident, provided Airwars with an excerpt from an interview with Dildar Abdy, Mukhlis’ brother: “On our way to the site of the bombing we saw a car coming the other way, we stopped it, there were two bodies in the car and they had a car license plate. We looked at the number and realised it was our (family) car. The body of Mukhlis was not inside the vehicle so we came back to Sheladze to check at the hospital. The people of Sheladze started a search for Muhlis’ body, due to the intensity of the explosion his body has been thrown a long way from the blast site… Everybody liked Mukhlis, nobody had any problems with him. He tried to work in order to support the family. He was a giving man and very easy to deal with… He studied until 9th grade (15 years old), he left because we were poor and we couldn’t pay for his studies.”

The incident occured in the morning.

The victims were named as:

Azad Mahdi
26 years old male killed
Mukhlis Adam
28 years old male killed
Deman Omar
28 years old male killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (3 men)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military
  • Belligerents reported killed
    2

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • The family of Mukhlis Adam are seen at his grave in Sheladze. He was allegedly killed in a Turkish attack on June 19th, 2020. (via the Guardian).
  • Mukhlis Adam's daughter is seen surrounded by her aunts and uncles. She was born after he was killed in an allegedly Turkish airstrike. (via the Guardian).

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Sidan (سيدان), for which the generic coordinates are: 37.086619, 43.930892. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Turkish Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Turkish Military
  • Turkish Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (3 men)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military
  • Belligerents reported killed
    2

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TI082

Incident date

June 15, 2022

Location

برخ, Parakh, Dohuk, Iraq

Geolocation

37.27665, 42.78737 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

At least two civilians were injured in alleged Turkish shelling of Parak in Duhok’s Zakho district on June 15, 2022.

According to Nalia Media Corporation, two people were wounded when Turkish forces bombarded Parakh in Duhok’s Zakho district. The reporter Wahid Sindi said that the two victims are a father and son who were working on their farm in the area and that both the father and son were sent to a hospital in Zakho for treatment.

Rudaw News provided the names of the two civilians injured: Nazir Omer Yousef, 51, and his 24-year-old son, Mohammed, were irrigating their orchard in Parakhian village when a bomb hit near them. Rudaw then added that both were injured due to shrapnel.

“We came under bombardment while we were irrigating our orchard,” the father told Rudaw’s Yousif Mousa at a hospital, adding that this is not the first time their village has come under bombardment. He was injured in his left thigh. Mohammed was injured in the left hand. He told Rudaw News: “All I can remember was that I heard a sound and found myself on the ground, bleeding.”

Dlsher Abdulsattar, mayor of Darkar, told Rudaw that the bomb ““was definitely fired by the Turkish army as far as we know,” he said, adding that the injured people have told him the same. He also told Rudaw that “Parakhian village is a populated village and there are 30 families….There are no PKK guerillas inside the village.” BasNews quoted Amir Ali, a spokesperson for the Independent Administration of Zakho, who reported that the airstrikes were carried out against “alleged positions of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) near Sharanshe resort.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (2)

Nazir Omer Yousef
51 years old male injured
Mohammed
24 years old male Son of Nazir injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (9) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Nazir Omer Yousef, 51, and his 24-year-old son, Mohammed, who were injured in alleged Turkish strikes on Parakhian in Duhok’s Zakho district on June 15, 2022. (Image posted by Rudaw News)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Parakh (برخ), for which the generic coordinates are: 37.27665, 42.78737. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Turkish Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Turkish Military
  • Turkish Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (9) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TI094

Incident date

August 11, 2023

Location

بنجوين, Penjwin district, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq

Airwars assessment

On August 11, 2023, three civilians, including at least one woman (who may have been under 18), were reportedly killed after being struck by a Turkish drone in the Penjwin district of Sulaymaniyah governorate. According to media coverage of this event, the victims were killed while driving towards the Iranian border.

In its coverage of this event, Roj News identified the victims, stating, “The sources stated that the names of the three citizens who lost their lives are Hassan Ahmed, his wife and daughter.” as well as identifying the victims as being from Mosul in Dohuk Governorate, including one of the victims who was an employee of Assil Company. Other local sources refer to the company as being called Asiacell and quoted the director of the Asiacell office in Dohuk, Bassam Sayed, who said that Hassan Ahmed has worked as an engineer for them since 2021.

Asiacell released a statement to Shafaq News that: “The victim’s name is (Hassan Ahmed Kashmoula), of Arab nationalism, and he is from Mosul. He came to visit his daughter at the Bashmakh border crossing, where she was a student at the Faculty of Medicine at Sanandaj University in Iran, and he intended to return her to Mosul and the other two who were inside the car.” They (his son and daughter) are called (Ziyad Mustafa Khader), and they are from the Rashidiya neighborhood in Mosul, and the girl was born in 2006, and they came for the same purpose.”

While Rudaw’s account differed in that it states Ahmed’s friend was killed, rather than wife, it provided more context, reportedly quoting Nizar Ahmed Kashmoula, the brother of one of the victims, who “indicated that they were heading to the Iranian border to receive their cousin and the son of his brother’s friend, who are studying together at the Faculty of Engineering.” Rudaw identified the victims as Hassan Ahmed, “Ziyad Mustafa, a friend of Hassan Ahmed,” and Rayan Ziyad Mustafa, a student at the Faculty of Medicine.”

Following this incident, outlets including ANF Arabic and Rudaw published images that purportedly show the damage to the car occupied by the affected civilians. In these images, the vehicle is heavily damaged and on fire, positioned on the side of a road.  Rudaw also identified the vehicle as being a white Toyota Corolla.

Rudaw noted that the Turkish Anti-Terrorism Service claimed to have targeted two vehicles operated by militants affiliated with the PKK on the same day. While neither statement can be matched with certainty to this specific incident, Rudaw reports that the organization reported the day’s events in the following terms: “The Anti-Terrorism Service said: “A Turkish drone targeted a car belonging to the PKK, near the village of Kalala” in Sulaymaniyah Governorate, which resulted in “the death of a PKK intelligence official and the wounding of two others.” He added that another attack by a Turkish drone targeted “a car of PKK members near the village of Qala in the Khalkan region,” also in Sulaymaniyah, which led to the death of “a PKK member and the injury of two others.” The director of Nalbariz district in Penjween district in Sulaymaniyah governorate, Hemin Ibrahim, told Rudaw that he was confident that the bombing was carried out by a drone because of the holes left on the street.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (3)

Hassan Ahmed
Adult male killed
Ziyad Mustafa Khader
17 years old female killed
Rayan Ziyad Mustafa
killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (1 child1 woman1 man)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (7) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (4) [ collapse]

  • Vehicle struck by alleged Turkish drone strikes in Sulaymaniyah on August 11, 2023. (Image posted by Roj News)
  • Vehicle struck by alleged Turkish drone strikes in Sulaymaniyah on August 11, 2023. (Image posted by Rudaw News)

Turkish Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Turkish Military
  • Turkish Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • (1 child1 woman1 man)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (7) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TI062

Incident date

June 13, 2021

Location

قلعة دزة, Qalaat Diza, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq

Geolocation

36.169539, 45.212478 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Street level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

At least four people were killed in alleged Turkish airstrikes in the Qalaat Diza region, on the road between the villages of Deka and Kani Lane, on June 13, 2021. While the majority of sources refer to those killed as civilians, Turkish sources allege they five members of the PKK were killed.

According to North Press Agency “four civilians, at least, lost their lives due to Turkish air strike of a civilian vehicle. The civilian vehicle that the Turkish warplanes targeted was a Toyota carrying four people, whose identities are unknown yet. He pointed out that the area that was targeted, at exactly 13:30 on Sunday afternoon, is a civilian-populated area. It is near Helsho District, and it is not a military area. ”

Mawazin News also referred to those killed as civilians, stating that “a civilian car carrying four Iraqi Kurds” was bombed.

Sulaymaniyah Eye reported the name of one of those killed as Abu Bakr Tawfiq. Kurdistan News Now added that he got married 9 days prior to when he was killed.

Rudaw media quoted that Turkish media outlets circulated that the bombing “leaded five people to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) who were inside the car” but stated that the identities of those killed were not known.

A tweet from @metesohtaoglu, a Turkish journalist, also alleges that those killed were militants, added that “a destroyed PKK/HPG terror group vehicle is seen after it was targeted in a Turkish drone strike in Sulaimani’s Pishdar area on Sunday. 5 militants killed”.

All of the sources that reported on the incident attributed the strikes to Turkey.

The incident occured at 13:30:00 local time.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0 – 4
  • (0–1 men)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military
  • Belligerents reported killed
    0–5

Sources (6) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • Caption translation: Turkish warplanes bombed areas in Qalaat Diza, killing four civilians The picture below is of the martyr Abu Bakr Tawfiq, one of the martyrs of today's bombing. (Image posted by Sulaymaniyah Eye)
  • #Iraq- A destroyed PKK/HPG terror group vehicle is seen after it was targeted in a Turkish drone strike in Sulaimani's Pishdar area on Sunday. 5 militants killed #KRG (Image posted by @metesohtaoglu)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention a vehicle being struck on the road between the villages of Deka (ديكة) and Kani Lane (كاني لان). Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further. The generic coordinates for this road are: 36.169539, 45.212478.

{"type":"FeatureCollection","features":[{"type":"Feature","properties":{"stroke":"#ff5555","stroke-width":1,"stroke-opacity":1},"geometry":{"type":"LineString","coordinates":[[45.21964073181152,36.165509956790736],[45.219093561172485,36.16634146191794],[45.21862149238586,36.16694776217894],[45.2177095413208,36.16725957191555],[45.217452049255364,36.16727689464233],[45.21743059158325,36.16738083092257],[45.21790266036987,36.16770996156737],[45.21802067756653,36.16790917154937],[45.21823525428772,36.16874065122439],[45.21848201751709,36.16934693292638],[45.21839618682861,36.16947684982376],[45.21828889846801,36.16949417206045],[45.217827558517456,36.16931228838401],[45.21721601486206,36.16892253622743],[45.2167010307312,36.16864537795908],[45.21655082702637,36.168680022796245],[45.216583013534546,36.16888789149751],[45.21679759025573,36.16958078318659],[45.21640062332153,36.17010910898325],[45.215091705322266,36.17026500771811],[45.212688446044915,36.16949417206045],[45.21243095397949,36.1695028331774],[45.212334394454956,36.16963274981634],[45.212334394454956,36.16973668297243],[45.212613344192505,36.170481533224276],[45.21257042884827,36.17085395569549],[45.21240949630737,36.17102717484652],[45.212141275405884,36.17106181863077],[45.211851596832275,36.17102717484652],[45.21148681640625,36.170923243401845],[45.21055340766906,36.170810650847905],[45.210145711898804,36.17051617724974],[45.209126472473145,36.16952881652239],[45.207377672195435,36.16796113928748],[45.20618677139282,36.16706902166836],[45.205585956573486,36.166540675378165],[45.20502805709839,36.16596035649626],[45.20474910736084,36.165587910771116],[45.20450234413147,36.16532806386832],[45.20427703857422,36.165224124866015],[45.20381569862365,36.16500758483522],[45.20355820655823,36.165042231280346],[45.20350456237793,36.165276094384396],[45.20355820655823,36.1654146795983],[45.20371913909912,36.16570051082816],[45.203976631164544,36.166220201302956],[45.20406246185303,36.16639343069553],[45.204105377197266,36.166852486734236],[45.2042019367218,36.16711232858341],[45.20453453063965,36.16779657466522],[45.20453453063965,36.16801310699113],[45.204395055770874,36.168151687365786],[45.20418047904968,36.16822963871885],[45.203869342803955,36.16828160624447],[45.203601121902466,36.16829026749538],[45.202893018722534,36.168194993682604],[45.20278573036194,36.16814302609956],[45.202378034591675,36.16786586507461],[45.201627016067505,36.16719894234169],[45.20135879516601,36.166861148143084],[45.20120859146118,36.16650602959538]]}}]}

Turkish Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Turkish Military
  • Turkish Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0 – 4
  • (0–1 men)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military
  • Belligerents reported killed
    0–5

Sources (6) [ collapse]