Turkish Military in Iraq & Syria

Turkish Military in Iraq & Syria

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

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Incident Code

TS603

Incident date

June 14, 2023

Location

village of Shourik, Al Hassaka, Syria

Airwars assessment

Four civilians were injured by alleged Turkish drone strikes on the village of Shourik on June 14, 2023.

North Press Agency reported that a Turkish drone carried out a strike near a cement factory in the village of Shourik resulting in casualties. A medical source told North Press that an injured man named Ahmad Saleh Abdullah was brought to al-Salam Hospital in Qamishli city for treatment and that his health condition was stable. The victim is described as an IDP from the city of Aleppo who lives in the town of al-Qahtaniyeh (Tirbe Spiye).

According to Hawar News, four civilians were injured by Turkish strikes on the Qamishlo-Tirbespiyê road, which caused damage to a number of passing cars on the road. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights refer to the “targeted” vehicle as a military vehicle, but did not specify whether those affected were civilians or militants.

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

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Ahmad Saleh Abdullah
Age unknown male injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    IDP or refugee camp
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    4
  • 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 (6) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]

  • A vehicle destroyed by alleged Turkish drone strikes on the village of Shourik on June 14, 2023. (Image posted by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights)
  • A vehicle destroyed by alleged Turkish drone strikes on the village of Shourik on June 14, 2023. (Image posted by 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
    IDP or refugee camp
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    4
  • 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 (6) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TS628

Incident date

September 6, 2023

Location

قرية طحمة, Tahna village, Aleppo, Syria

Airwars assessment

Three children were injured by alleged Turkish shelling of Tahna village on September 6, 2023. At the time of reporting, all three children were in the intensive care unit in serious condition.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that three children from the same family were seriously injury by Turkish shelling of Tahna village and were taken to Al-Barkal hospital in Manbij city for treatment.

ANF reported the names of the children injured according to hospital records: Weam Al-Jassem (15 years old), Ibrahim Al-Jassem (12 years old), and Jalal Al-Jassem (14 years old).

The administrator and assistant surgeon at Al-Barkal Hospital, Ahmed Al-Ali, told ANF that two of the children’s were opened because of the presence of shrapnel, and two of the children had their spleens removed. He also said The first child, Weam Al-Jassem, has an injury to the kidney and stomach and had his spleen removed. The other child, Jalal Al-Jassem, has the same injuries, but his kidney is more damaged. There is a possibility that we will remove it within the next 24 hours, but now we are waiting in the hope that it will return to work and if it stops completely. The third child, Ibrahim Al-Jassem, was subjected to a chest explosion due to a bad wind.”

News of north and east of Syria posted on Facebook that the medical staff treating the children said “We are making efforts to save their lives.”

The incident occured around dawn.

The victims were named as:

Family members (3)

Weam Al-Jassem وئام الجاسم
15 years old injured
Ibrahim Al-Jassem إبراهيم الجاسم
12 years old injured
Jalal Al-Jassem جلال الجاسم
14 years old injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    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.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (6) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Children being treated for serious injuries following alleged Turkish shelling of the village of Tahna on September 6, 2023. (Image posted by Hawar News)

Turkish Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    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.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (6) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TI096

Incident date

September 27, 2023

Location

قرية بوگریسکان, Bugriskan village, Sinjar district, Bashdar district , Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraq

Airwars assessment

A woman was killed and a man injured by two drone strikes, allegedly conducted by the Turkish military, on the village of Bugriskan, in the Sinjar district on September 27th, 2023. The strikes were also reported to have killed six Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants.

Bas News reported that the casualties occurred in “two separate air attacks,” within 10 minutes of each other: the first at 11AM followed by a second at approximately 11:10. The first strike allegedly killed four PKK members, and, due to proximity, also inflicted the first civilian injury of Mirza Ibrahim. The second strike killed two further PKK members, and severely injured 50-year-old Esti Mohammad.

After the first strike injured villager Mirza Ibrahim, and Esti Mohammad, seeing the strike near her home, went to help him. She was severely injured in the second strike; she would later die of her injuries after having been transported to a hospital in Rania. Mirza was also taken to the hospital for recovery.

Esti was the mother of seven children. Born in Zanjilan, she had been a resident of Rania for several years. She had lived in Bugriskan for ten years, and worked breeding livestock. She was engaged in her community, and a committed activist against Turkish strikes in the region.

The incident occured between 11:00 am and 11:10 am local time.

The victims were named as:

Esti Muhammad استي محمد
50 years old female killed
Mirza Ibrahim ميرزا إبراهيم
Adult male injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 woman)
  • 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
  • Suspected target
    YPG/SDF
  • Belligerents reported killed
    6

Sources (8) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Source: Roj 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
    1
  • (1 woman)
  • 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
  • Suspected target
    YPG/SDF
  • Belligerents reported killed
    6

Sources (8) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TS143

Incident date

January 30, 2018

Location

قسطل جندو, Qastal Jando, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.630278, 37.017222 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Rumaf reported alleged Turkish shelling on the outskirts of Qastal Jendo, “causing material damage and injuring civilians, including children.”

No additional details are presently known.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (2) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Qastal Jando (قسطل جندو), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.630278, 37.017222. 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

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (2) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TS174

Incident date

February 9, 2018

Location

شيا عفرين, Shya, Afrin, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.496944, 36.598333 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

In a private report to Airwars, the Kurdish Red Crescent named one civilian as injured in an alleged Turkish shelling of Shya.

The type of weapon was not reported.

No further details are currently available.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Hassan Saqid
27 years old male injury to the knee injured

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Shya, Afrin (شيا عفرين), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.496944, 36.598333. 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

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    0
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TS314

Incident date

October 11, 2019

Location

البديع, Bedî, Raqqa, Syria

Geolocation

36.653994, 38.921857 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Three civilians were killed in alleged Turkish airstrikes on the village of Bedî, south of the town of Tal Abyad/Girê Spî, Raqqa governorate, as reported by local sources.

Yeni Özgür Politika (@y_ozgurpolitika) stated on Twitter that Turkish warplanes were responsible for the airstrikes and reported that “many” were  injured, but the exact number of wounded civilians remains unclear.

Currently, more information is unavailable to Airwars.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3
  • 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.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Bedî (البديع), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.653994, 38.921857. 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
  • 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.
  • Suspected attacker
    Turkish Military

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TS346

Incident date

October 16, 2019

Location

ريحانية, Rihaniya, Hassakah, Syria

Geolocation

36.601231, 40.071902 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Between three and five civilians – of whom three were women – were wounded in an alleged Turkish attack on Rihaniya village, according to local media.

Hawarnews reported that “two women and an elderly man, all from the village of Rihaniya” were wounded in alleged Turkish shelling of Rihaniya village.

However, several other sources said that three women were injured in a shooting by Turkisj forces.

 

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    3–5
  • 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 (3) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    "Civilians talking about the Turkish army targeting their village."

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Rihaniya (ريحانية), west of Alia (غرب), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.601231, 40.071902. 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
    3–5
  • 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

TS367

Incident date

October 25, 2019

Location

Menacîr, Hassakah, Syria

Geolocation

36.685491, 40.197258 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Two civilians were reported injured in an alleged Turkish forces attack on Menacîr, Ras Al Ain in Hassakah Governorate on October 25th, 2019, according to local sources.

 

The incident occured in the afternoon.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • 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 (5) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • A wounded civilian following an alleged Turkish attack on Menajir, Ras al-Ain, Oct 25th.
  • One of two civilians reported injured in an alleged Turkish forces attack on Menajir, Ras al-Ain on 25 October 2019 (via ANHA)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Menacîr, for which the generic coordinates are: 36.685491, 40.197258. 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
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • 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 (5) [ collapse]