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
Syria
start date
end date
Civilian Harm Status
Belligerent Assessment
Declassified Documents
Infrastructure
text search
814 Results
sort by:
Sort by:
Incident date
Civilian deaths alleged
Civilian deaths confirmed by belligerent

Incident Code

TI101

Incident date

December 28, 2023

Location

قرية كاركي, Karki, Sinjar District, Mosul Province, Iraq

Airwars assessment

Between 6 and 8 PM on Thursday, December 28th, 2023, at least five people were killed and two others injured after an alleged Turkish drone strike on the village of Karki in the Sinjar district of Mosul province. The civilian status of five of the men killed is contested within the sources.

Those killed were young men, originally from northern and eastern Syria; information on the wounded was not made available. Roj News, in conjunction with the Democratic Autonomous Administration of Shingal District identified the deceased as follows: 21-year-old Ramadan al-Hammadi, originally from Raqqa; 24-year-old Shaheen Ali, from Kobani; 20-year-old Hussein al-Hussein, also from Raqqa; 23-year-old Ahmed al-Mohammed al-Ali, from Raqqa; and Raqqa-born Munir al-Bakour. al-Bakour’s age was not publicly declared.

There remains dispute regarding the circumstances of the strike. While the local administration in Sinjar reported those killed were working digging wells to provide water for the villages of Kora Samukiya, Al-Arbay News stated that the bombing was a deliberate strike targeting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party. Al-Araby claimed their source, members of Nineveh security, as saying the strike targeted “a group of Labor Party activists.” Al-Arbay also specified that the local Sinjar administration is “known for its association” with the PKK.

Haider Sheshu, a commander of local militia Ezidkhan Protection Units, stated that he was unsure “whether the dead were fighters or civilians.”

Roj News reported the belligerent bombed the area three consecutive times. All of the sources attributed the drone strikes to Turkish forces.

The incident occured between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm local time.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Water station
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3 – 8
  • (0–5 men)
  • 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.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military
  • Suspected target
    YPG/SDF
  • Belligerents reported killed
    0–5

Sources (11) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (8) [ collapse]

  • Source: Roj News
  • Source: Roj News
  • Source: Roj News
  • Source: Roj News
  • Source: Hawar News
  • Source: Hawar News
  • Source: Hawar 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 infrastructure
    Water station
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3 – 8
  • (0–5 men)
  • 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.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military
  • Suspected target
    YPG/SDF
  • Belligerents reported killed
    0–5

Sources (11) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TS674

Incident date

December 28, 2023

Location

مركز غسيل الكلى, Dialysis Centre, Al Hasakah, Syria

Geolocation

37.054172, 41.262636 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Nearby landmark level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

On December 28th, 2023, a 65 year-old kidney patient identified as Ahmed Abd al-Rahman Khadr reportedly died as he could not access treatment, following the reported destruction three days earlier of a dialysis center hit by alleged Turkish air or drone strikes in Qamishlo city.

Rojava TV and Ibrahim Sheikho described Ahmed Abd al-Rahman Khadr as a former kidney patient who had been sick for more than two years. Sources both said he was Syrian, born in 1958 in Amuda, Al-Jazira district, and died as he could not access treatment following the destruction of the dialysis center. Ibrahim Sheikho posted a picture of the alleged victim on Facebook. Rojava TV claimed that he had undergone three dialysis sessions in the last two years. It further stated that the dialysis center had prior to the attack capacity to treat 70 patients and was equipped with only one emergency room with one device to provide dialysis treatment. No information was available as to where the victim died.

Qamishlo puls on Facebook alongside other sources reported that on December 25th 2023, alleged Turkish bombing in Qamishlo resulted in putting the “only dialysis center out of service”. Al Hafel on Facebook posted a video showing the damage to the building and piles of rubble – the source further claimed that the Syrian Democratic Forces are using hospitals and schools, such as the dialysis center, as “headquarters”, and that these buildings are hit by alleged Turkish drone strikes. Multiple sources reported that the oxygen plant in Qamishlo was also destroyed by alleged Turkish strikes on December 25th, 2023.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Ahmed Abd al-Rahman Khadr أحمد عبد الرحمن خضر
65 years old male killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Healthcare facility
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 man)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Denial of access to/destruction of objects indispensable to survival
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Impact
    Healthcare
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (7) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (7) [ collapse]

  • Source: Qamishlo puls
  • Source: Ibrahim Sheikho
  • Source: Ibrahim Sheikho
  • Source: Ibrahim Sheikho
  • Source: Ibrahim Sheikho

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention an alleged strike on the Dialysis Centre (مركز غسيل الكلى), to the east of Qamishli (ٱلْقَامِشْلِي). As there is no information available as to where the victim died, the location accuracy for this incident is set to “nearby landmark”. The generic coordinates for the Dialysis Centre are: 37.054172, 41.262636.

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 infrastructure
    Healthcare facility
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 man)
  • Cause of injury / death
    Denial of access to/destruction of objects indispensable to survival
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Impact
    Healthcare
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (7) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TS669

Incident date

December 25, 2023

Location

كُوبَانِي, Kobani, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.891111, 38.353611 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

On the morning of Monday, December 25, 2023, two civilians working for a construction company were injured following alleged Turkish strikes on the city of Kobani (Ain Al-Arab) in northern Syria. According to ANF news, the strikes not only wounded two civilians, but also caused material damage to the citizens’ property.

The Facebook users Kobani Delbrin, Kobani live and Kobani Kobani alleged that Turkish forces were randomly bombing the city of Kobani, including not only the construction company, but also the Mashtanour Hospital (Health Centre) of the Kurdish Red Crescent, a car garage and a car repair shop. Kobani Delbrin and Kobani Hadath shared the images where clouds of smoke arising over the buildings in Kobani can be seen. A Facebook user Kobani my soul also reported about the attack on the Mashtanour health center, sharing images of the destroyed building in fire. North Press Agency news added that this health center was  operating with the support of an international organization (Doctors of the World).

Anha news reported that the Turkish military twice attacked  a company in the city of Kobani in the morning of December 25, but it is not clear whether it was the construction company whose workers were injured, or some other company.

The sources provided different estimations of the strike’s type – while ANF news and Kobani live wrote about the drone attack, Kobani Delbri mentioned both drones and airstrikes, and the North Press Agency reported about the airstrikes.

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

The incident occured in the morning.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • 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 (11) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (21) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Kobani Delbrin facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Kobani Delbrin facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Kobani Delbrin facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Kobani Delbrin facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Kobani Delbrin facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Kobani Delbrin facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Kobani Delbrin facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Kobani Delbrin facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Kobani Delbrin facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Kobani Delbrin facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Kobani Delbrin facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Kobani my soul facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Kobani my soul facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Kobani my soul facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Kobani my soul facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Kobani my soul facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Kobani Kobani facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Kobani Kobani facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Kobani Hadath facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Kobani Hadath facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Kobani Hadath facebook

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the city of Kobani (كُوبَانِي), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.891111, 38.353611. 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, Drone Strike
  • 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 (11) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TS665

Incident date

December 5, 2023

Location

حربل, village of Harbel in the Al-Shahba area, northern countryside of Aleppo, Aleppo, Syria

Airwars assessment

On Tuesday, December 5, 2023, a Kurdish civilian man was seriously wounded while driving his car by an alleged drone strike by the Turkish military on the village of Harbel in the Al-Shahba area, in the northern countryside of Aleppo, Syria. According to the local sources, the attack was perpetrated with a “suicide drone”.

According to the Facebook account “Human Rights Afrin”, a 38-year old man named Azad Khalil Hamada sustained injuries to his leg, and his car was damaged. It was reported that Azad belonged to the forcibly displaced people of Afrin. He appeared in an image shared by this account as a middle-aged bearded man in a brown pullover and jeans. A picture of his damaged white “Kia” auto was also posted.

Afrin Muhajar Facebook user also shared an image of Azad lying on the hospital bed with his arm in a cast, so likely his arm was also injured.

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

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Azad Khalil Hamada آزاد خليل حمادة
38 years old male injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • 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 (7) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]

  • Source: Human Rights Afrin Facebook
  • Source: Human Rights Afrin Facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Afrin Muhajar facebook

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
    Unknown
  • 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 (7) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TI100

Incident date

December 5, 2023

Location

بامرني, Bamerni, Amedi District, Dohuk Governorate, Iraq

Airwars assessment

At around 7AM on Tuesday, December 5th, 2023, a man was killed and up to three others injured after an alleged Turkish bombardment in the Bamerni subdistrict of Amedi, in Dohuk Governorate.

Gulan Media named the deceased as 44-year-old Ali Jamil Kalash, the father of four children. Kalash was near his home when he died: the strike hit 250 kilometers away from his residence.

While Gulan Media referred to Ali as an “off-duty Peshmerga fighter,” all other sources reported that he was a civilian. Erem News reported that the belligerent, who they named as the Turkish military, carried out “three strikes” and emphasized that those injured and killed had no affiliation with the PKK.

One of the injured was reported as 23-year-old Matin Sadiq, a shepherd. He was brought to the Duhok Emergency Hospital for treatment.

Jamil Kalash, Ali’s father, spoke about the hours leading up to his son’s death, commenting that he had been at his parents’ home, entertaining guests, until 10:30 the previous night. It is unclear whether Ali died immediately or after some time, as multiple sources from December 6th reported he died after he “succumbed to his injuries.”

The number of other injuries is unclear. While Bas News reported three injured and stated they had all been taken to hospitals in Duhok province, Kurdistan 24 and Ronahi TV both reported that there was only one injury. Hawar News reported that, along with the one death and one injury, another person was missing. It is unclear whether this missing civilian was one of the injured reported by other sources.

The strike occurred in a “populated area” near an irrigation project, and also caused property damage amongst residential buildings and farms.

All of the sources that reported on the incident attributed the strike to Turkish forces.

The incident occured at approximately 7:00 am local time.

The victims were named as:

Ali Jamil Kalash علي جميل كلش
44 years old male Contested as militant killed
Matin Sadiq
23 years old male injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture, Water station
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0 – 1
  • (0–1 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–3
  • 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.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military
  • Suspected target
    YPG/SDF
  • Belligerents reported killed
    0–1

Sources (9) [ collapse]

Turkish Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture, Water station
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0 – 1
  • (0–1 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–3
  • 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.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military
  • Suspected target
    YPG/SDF
  • Belligerents reported killed
    0–1

Sources (9) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TS655

Incident date

October 27, 2023

Location

ساحة ازادي, Azadi Square, city of Al-Malikiyah (Dayrik), Qamishlo canton, Al-Hasakah, Syria

Airwars assessment

On Friday, October 27, 2023, an 11-year-old child Ahmed Shaheen was injured alongside a 39-year-old woman Avin Khalil, and later died of his injuries inflicted by an drone strike declared by the Turkish military on the Azadi Square in Al-Malikiyah city, also known as Dayrik, in the Hasakah countryside, Syria, an area under the influence of the Autonomous Administration.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the strike also killed a senior commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces and the coordinator with the International Coalition Forces, Shibli Dirik (Farhad Derik), when he was leaving his home in Azadi Square. According to SOHR, Dirik had previously been targeted in a failed assassination attempt by a Turkish drone. Multiple sources on social media posted the images of the deceased militant.

SOHR reported that the injured child and woman were hospitalized in a hospital in Hasakah. Later on the same day, October 27, 2023, SOHR provided an update claiming that the child died due to the wounds.

The airstrike was also reported by multiple prominent local media outlets, which corroborated the location, number of the victims, their identities, ages, and information regarding the suspected belligerent. One source, Qamishlo now, claimed that two children were injured as a result of the attack; however, it did not provide details regarding the identity of the victim.

On the day of the incident, a local news outlet on Facebook posted a video which appeared to show the remains of a shell, allegedly as a result of the attack. Meanwhile, another media agency shared a picture showing the damage to the house with a broken window and the remains of the shell on the ground.

The Turkish government released a statement through state-run Anadolu Agency that the Turkish intelligence agency (MIT) “neutralized terrorist Muhammed Azo [his Arabic name rather than his Kurdish name], the so-called Derik brigade leader of the terrorist organization PKK/YPG, in an operation in northern Syria.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Ahmed Shaheen أحمد شاهين
11 years old male killed
Avin Khalil أفين خليل
39 years old female injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 child)
  • 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.
  • Known attacker
    Turkish Military
  • Known target
    YPG/SDF
  • Belligerents reported killed
    1

Sources (10) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (7) [ collapse]

  • Source: Derke Hamko facebook
  • Source: Qamishlo voice facebook
  • Source: Qamishlo voice facebook
  • Source: Qamishlo voice facebook
  • Source: Kobani live facebook
  • Source: Qamishlo now facebook

Turkish Military Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

Turkish Military
Official source

According to information obtained from security sources, Muhammed Azo was targeted by MİT last year, but he survived the operation injured.

Action was taken after it was determined that terrorist Azo, who was sent abroad by the terrorist organization PKK/YPG for treatment, returned to Derik in northern Syria.

MİT neutralized terrorist Azo, the so-called Derik brigade leader of the terrorist organization PKK/YPG, in an operation in northern Syria.

Terrorist Muhammed Azo was wanted on the grounds that he was the perpetrator of the attack on the Yakacık Police Station of the 1st Border Battalion Command on the Şırnak/Cizre-Silopi road on February 2, 2022, in which private Tarık Tarcan was martyred and 3 soldiers were injured, 20 days before his discharge. .

While Muhammed Azo was serving as the so-called brigade officer in the terrorist organization, he served as the coordination officer of the joint exercise in which 250 PYD/YPG terrorists participated with the United States in Derik in northern Syria on September 7, 2022, and posed candidly with US soldiers. was also determined.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 child)
  • 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.
  • Known attacker
    Turkish Military
  • Known target
    YPG/SDF
  • Belligerents reported killed
    1

Sources (10) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TS654

Incident date

October 26, 2023

Location

قرية الربيعية, Al-Rabiya village west of Hama, Hama, Syria

Airwars assessment

At least five identified civilians, including two women and two children, were killed and between two and five civilians were injured in a drone strike on the Al-Rabiya village of Hama countryside in central Syria, declared by Al-Fateh Al-Mubin, a militia affiliated and supported by the Turkish military, during the evening of Thursday, October 26, 2023.

SANA News referring to the Hama Police Command reported that three people were killed and two injured in that attack. The Syrian Ministry of Defense alleged that three people were killed and two others were injured while Sputnik reported the injured were three, and RT counted only two.

The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights reported the highest death toll –  four citizens killed, including two women, and that the five injured were all from the same family. SOHR added that there was a state of terror and panic that struck the residents of the area. The victims were transported to the Hama National Hospital for treatment.

Social media posts helped to identify six victims of the deadly attack. According to the Syria news network, the strike killed a soldier, Lieutenant Sharaf Muhammad Ali Muhammad alongside the civilians named as Amna Ibrahim Asaad, the little girl Hala Kamel Al-Ali, and a girl Maryam Habib Al-Ali.  Hama branch Facebook account also mentioned Ayman Ali Al-Muhammad and Aya Al-Ahmad among the killed, noting that their bodies arrived at the National Hospital in Hama. Mesyaf news reported about Ayman Ali Al-Muhammad, Amna, Hala and Maryam.

Maryam Habib Al-Ali was a ninth grade student with long straight hair, fair skin and brown eyes. A photo of her was posted while wearing a green bracelet and a red t-shirt with a white stripe on both shoulders. The other girl, Hala Kamel Al-Ali, was a baby with fair skin and brown eyes, a photo of her was posted where she is dressed with a yellow knitted cap and green pijama with print.

The Fox Press Facebook account reported that “the drone took off from the areas of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and the pro-Turkey factions, and flew over the airspace of the city of Suqaylabiyah before heading to the town of Al-Rabiah, while ground anti-aircraft guns tried to confront it in the skies of the region without being able to shoot it down.”

The Military monitor media alluded to the death of the Syrian military soldier and also posted a photo of the ceremony where military corpses are gathered inside a room in the Hama National Hospital behind four coffins covered with the Syrian flag. Another picture show a soldier surrounded by his colleagues, giving a military salute to the coffin that was being loaded at the entrance of the hospital.

A procession was also held on October 27 from the hospital. Mesyaf News posted a photo of a man with a brown long tunic who was one step from a multitude of militaries, with his head bowed in front of a coffin covered with the Syrian flag and flowers. Another photo showed many men and a kid gathered around two men, one in front of the other. The first one giving a military salute to the other, while the other holds in his hands probably a folded flag.

According to Military monitor Facebook account and North Syria Live news, the Al-Fateh Al-Mubin militia carried out the drone attack. The Al-Fateh Al-Mubin militia declared the strike in a statement published by North Syria Live news: “Our mujahideen targeted the headquarters of Assad’s gangs in the town of Al-Rabiah, west of Hama, and direct hits were achieved among the enemy’s headquarters in response to targeting the city of Idlib.” However, no civilian casualties were mentioned in this statement.

The incident occured in the evening.

The victims were named as:

Family members (5)

Amna Ibrahim Asaad آمنة إبراهيم أسعد
Adult female killed
Aya Al-Ahmad آية الأحمد
Adult female killed
Hala Kamel Al-Ali هالة كامل العلي
Child female killed
Maryam Habib Al-Ali, مريم حبيب العلي
Child female killed
Ayman Ali Al-Muhammad أيمن علي المحمد
Adult male killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • (2 children2 women1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–5
  • 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.
  • Known attacker
    Turkish Military
  • Known target
    Assad regime
  • Belligerents reported killed
    1

Sources (20) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (11) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Syria TV news

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Syria TV news

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Syria TV news

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Syria TV news

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Syria TV news

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Military monitor facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Military monitor facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: SYria news network facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Atef Anka facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Mesyaf news facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Mesyaf news facebook

Turkish Military Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

Turkish Military
Official source

Al-Fateh Al-Mubin: Our mujahideen targeted the headquarters of Assad’s gangs in the town of Al-Rabiah, west of Hama, and direct hits were achieved among the enemy’s headquarters in response to targeting the city of Idlib.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    5
  • (2 children2 women1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    2–5
  • 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.
  • Known attacker
    Turkish Military
  • Known target
    Assad regime
  • Belligerents reported killed
    1

Sources (20) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TS653

Incident date

October 25, 2023

Location

قرية المشيرفة, village Al Mushairfa in the Ain Issa district, Ain Issa, Syria

Airwars assessment

On the afternoon or evening of Wednesday, October 25th, 2023, alleged Turkish artillery shelling struck the village of Al Mushairfa located 8 km east of the town of Ain Issa, Syria, injuring one civilian and striking grain silos.

The injured civilian has been named by most of the sources as a 26-year old Bashar Ahmed Al-Fanash, although North News reported that his age was 23. He was transported to Ain Issa Hospital where he received treatment for his wounds, some of which were located on his head as pictured.

Numerous local sources such as Hawar News reported that the bombs also hit a grain warehouse and silos in the city centre, however did not provide further details on the damage.

All sources attributed the attack to Turkish military forces.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Bashar Ahmed Al-Fanash بشار أحمد
26 years old male killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • 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.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (9) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (5) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: ANHA facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Ain Esa Plus facebook

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

Turkish Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • 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.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (9) [ collapse]