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

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

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

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.

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)

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

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.

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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]

Incident Code

TI083

Incident date

June 17, 2022

Location

كلار, Kalar, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq

Geolocation

34.626923, 45.318998 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Four people were killed and one was injured in alleged Turkish drone strikes on the town of Kalar on June 17, 2022. Conflicting reporting was given as to whether all of those killed and injured were members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) or whether at least one of the people killed, Hussein Shibli, was in a civilian political role in the government.

Rudaw News reported that a Turkish drone struck a car carrying alleged members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), killing at least four PKK affiliates and injuring another, adding that a jeep vehicle was set on fire when it was hit by a Turkish drone at around 9:30am.

Kurdistan 24 also quoted the Directorate General of Counter Terrorism (CTD) of the Kurdistan Region’s Security Council (KRSC) in reporting that five people were in the car that was hit, four were killed and one was wounded, and did not elaborate on the identities of the casualties.

According to Alaraby News, Hussein Shibli, co-chairman of the executive council of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), was one of the people killed in the drone strike. He was reportedly on a formal visit to the Iraqi Kurdistan region, according to AANES officials. “Our comrade Hussein Shibli, also known as Farhad Shibli, was on a formal visit to the Kurdistan region for medical treatment. He was martyred in a terrorist attack in Kalar,” Avin Swed, representative of the AANES in the Kurdistan region told The New Arab, quoted by Alaraby, in a phone interview. She added that DNA tests confirmed that Shibli was killed, the driver of the car has been injured, and the identity of the three others has yet to be identified as they were badly burnt.

The Arab Weekly quoted Turkey’s Anadolu news agency, who reported on Sunday that the Turkish intelligence service managed to “neutralise the Syrian terrorist Hussein Shibli, the co-chair of the so-called Central Executive Council of the Syrian Autonomous Administration of the terrorist PKK organisation, in the city of Sulaymaniyah” in northern Iraq, and that he was “close to Farhad Abdi Shaheen, one of the leaders of the YPG/PKK in Syria”.

The Syrian Democratic Forces described Shibli as a “political leader in building and achieving organisational, intellectual and social construction projects” in Syria. Bedran Chiya Kurd, Co-chairmanship of the Executive Council of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, issued a statement that “targeting  our comrade Ferhad who was on a civil and humanitarian mission in Southern Kurdistan in the Kelar region that is some 200 km away from Turkish borders comes within the terrorist acts that target the best of our fighters in the Region”.

The Arab Weekly also referred to “observers” that suggested instead that the assassination was carried out by a locally-operated suicide drone or by the detonation of an explosive device under his car, but did not specify who was then responsible for this operation. All other sources attributed the drone strike to Turkey.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • 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
    5
  • Belligerents reported injured
    1

Sources (7) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (4) [ collapse]

  • Destruction caused by alleged Turkish drone strike on a vehicle in the town of Kalar on June 17, 2022. (Image posted by Rudaw News)
  • Destruction caused by alleged Turkish drone strike on a vehicle in the town of Kalar on June 17, 2022. (Image posted by Kurdistan24)
  • Hussein Shibli, also known as Farhad Shibli, referred to by conflicting sources as being a member of the PKK or a political figure, was killed by an alleged Turkish drone strike on Kalar town on June 17, 2022. (Image posted by The Arab Weekly)
  • Hussein Shibli, also known as Farhad Shibli, referred to by conflicting sources as being a member of the PKK or a political figure, was killed by an alleged Turkish drone strike on Kalar town on June 17, 2022. (Image posted by The Arab Weekly)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the city of Kalar (كلار), for which the generic coordinates are: 34.626923, 45.318998. 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
  • 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
    5
  • Belligerents reported injured
    1

Sources (7) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TI009

Incident date

September 20, 2017

Location

شمال العراق, North of Iraq, Iraq

Geolocation

36.915000, 44.041944 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Province/governorate level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Local media reported that the Turkish air force had bombed sites belonging to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party in north Iraq – though there was no information available on civilian harm as a result of these actions.

RT reported that “the Turkish army said on Thursday that the shelling hit targets in the mountainous regions of Zab, Afashin and Baysan in northern Iraq, close to the border with Turkey. The army gave no further details on the timing of the strike or targets, but confirmed that all the aircraft had returned safely.”

According to Alrafdain, “The Turkish Air Force announced that the Turkish planes bombed the camps of the Workers ‘Party militia. This resulted in the destruction of weapons and ammunition stores as part of the Turkish forces’ campaign in south and south-eastern Turkey and northern Iraq.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
  • 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 province/governorate of North of Iraq (شمال العراق), for which the generic coordinates are: 36.915000, 44.041944. 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
  • 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

TI065

Incident date

August 17, 2021

Location

قرية سكينة, Medical center in the village of Sakina, Nineveh, Iraq

Geolocation

36.293922, 41.553731

Airwars assessment

At least eight people were killed, including four members of the medical staff at a hospital and four fighters of the Sinjar Resistance Units who were receiving treatment at  a hospital, and four others were injured in alleged Turkish strikes on Al-Askiniyah Hospital in the village of Sakina in Sinjar district on August 17, 2021.

Ajansa Nûçeyan a Firatê published that “according to the statement of the Autonomous Administration Council in Sinjar, the attack resulted in the death of at least 8 people and the injury of 4 others. Among the martyrs were 4 fighters of the Sinjar Resistance Units who were receiving treatment in the hospital, in addition to the martyrdom of 4 members of the medical staff in the hospital who were serving the Yazidi community.” An image posted on Facebook shows that a baby was among those injured.

The names of those killed in the bombing are: Hamid Saadoun (Qiran Siba), a fighter of the Sinjar Resistance Units; Khader Sharaf (Bir Khader), a fighter of the Sinjar Resistance Units; Rami Al-Salem (Ronny), a fighter of the Sinjar Resistance Units, from the Arab component of the people of the Ba’aj region; Maytum Khader Khalaf (Sarhad Zammar), a fighter of the Sinjar Resistance Units; Ali Rasho Khader, from the medical staff; Saadu Elias Rasho, from the medical staff; Hajji Khader, from the medical staff; Mukhlisat Sidar, from the medical staff.

A report from the PKK identified Mukhlisat Sidar as being a doctor in the medical facility and added that he “had come to Sinjar in  2014 as a medical volunteer from North Kurdistan (southeast Turkey) to help provide medical  treatment for the local population during the IS attacks.”

An activist from Singer told Independent Arabia that “today’s operation came to complete the attack launched by Turkish planes yesterday in Sinjar, which killed three people from the Sinjar Protection Units and wounded two others.” The activist added that the two wounded, one of whom is a leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, were taken to this hospital for treatment.

A statement from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) pointed out that the initial strike was against “an Ezidi diplomatic delegation on its way to a meeting with Iraqi government officials on August 16”.  The reported added that “five members of a diplomatic delegation representing our  Democratic Autonomous Council of Sinjar (MXDŞ) were targeted by a Turkish air strike while  driving through the center of Sinjar city. Two members of the delegation, Seîd Hesen and Îsa  Xwedêda, were killed in the attack while Medya Qasim Simo, Şamir Abbas Berces and Mîrza  Alî were wounded.”

An Iraqi security source told Al-Ain News that “Turkish warplanes bombed this afternoon the military hospital of the Sinjar Protection Forces, which is located in the village of Al-Sakina, south of the district, in Nineveh Governorate. The Turkish aircraft deliberately targeted the building and made any attempts to evacuate those sleeping in it.”

According to the PKK report, the hospital that was bombed had been treating many civilian patients, including COVID patients, at the time of the attack and that “the hospital in the village of Sikêniyê – a former school building – had been established in  2016 after the liberation of the village by the Kurdish guerrilla and YBŞ/YJŞ forces. Ever since,  it had been run solely with the resources provided by the local population and the MXDŞ. It  had been used both by the civilian population of Sinjar and members of the YBŞ/YJŞ”.

“The hospital was subjected to three raids with drones that destroyed the entire building,” said Jalal Khalaf Basso, deputy mayor of Sinjar, to Agence France-Presse. A report from the PKK recalled that “after the first air strike had hit the hospital and  had wounded several people, civilians and Iraqi soldiers from a nearby military base who were  rushing to the scene to help were targeted by three more air strikes.”. All of the sources that reported on the incident attributed the strikes to Turkey.

The incident occured in the afternoon.

  • Hamid Saadoun (Qiran Siba) Age unknown male a fighter of the Shingal Resistance Units killed
  • Khader Sharaf (Bir Khader) Age unknown male a fighter of the Shingal Resistance Units killed
  • Rami Al-Salem (Ronny) Age unknown male a fighter of the Shingal Resistance Units, from the Arab component of the people of the Ba’aj region. killed
  • Maytum Khader Khalaf (Sarhad Zammar) Age unknown male a fighter of the Shingal Resistance Units killed
  • Ali Rasho Khader Age unknown from the medical staff killed
  • Saadu Elias Rasho Age unknown from the medical staff killed
  • Hajji Khader, Age unknown from the medical staff killed
  • Mukhlisat Sidar Age unknown from the medical staff killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4
  • 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
  • Suspected target
    Iraqi militias (PMUs)

Sources (21) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (11) [ collapse]

  • Victims of the bombing of a medical center in the village of Sakina (Image posted by ANF)
  • Image of Hamed Saadoun (with his wife), who was killed in alleged Turkish bombing of Al-Askiniyah Hospital on August 17, 2021. (Image posted by Shingal Sinjar my city on Facebook)
  • Four of the people that were killed at a medical facility on August 17, 2021. (Image posted by Shingal Sinjar my city)
  • Image of Khidr Sharaf, Ali Rasho Khidr, and Hajji Khidr, killed in strikes on a medical facility on August 17, 2021. (Image posted by Shingal Sinjar my city)
  • A baby injured in the strikes on the medical facility in the village of Sakina on August 17, 2021. (Image posted by Shingal Sinjar my city)
  • Image of Hamed Saadoun, who was killed in alleged Turkish bombing of Al-Askiniyah Hospital on August 17, 2021. (Image posted by Shingal Sinjar my city on Facebook)
  • Image of a car destroyed in the initial strikes by Turkish forces that killed three Sinjar Protection Forces personnel and injured two others. (Image posted by Shafaq News)
  • Image of a car destroyed in the initial strikes by Turkish forces that killed three Sinjar Protection Forces personnel and injured two others. (Image posted by Irq women via Facebook)
  • Hassan Saeed, commander of the 80th Brigade, was killed the day before in a strike along with two others and another two personnel were injured. The injured were receiving treatment at the hospital when the Turkish launched another strike and killed four military personnel. (Image posted by Murad Sheikh Kalou)
  • Image of a car destroyed in the initial strikes by Turkish forces that killed three Sinjar Protection Forces personnel and injured two others. (Image posted by Kurdistan Workers' Party)
  • Before and after photos of the Mt. Shengal clinic that was allegedly bombed by Turkish forces on August 17, 2021.

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention a medical center in the village of Sakina (قرية سكينة). Analyzing audio-visual material from sources, we have narrowed down the location to these exact coordinates: 36.293922, 41.553731.

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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
    4
  • 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
  • Suspected target
    Iraqi militias (PMUs)

Sources (21) [ collapse]

Incident Code

TI084

Incident date

June 17, 2022

Location

كيسته, Kesta, Dohuk, Iraq

Geolocation

37.256848, 43.160734 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Two women were injured in alleged Turkish artillery shelling and/or heavy machine gun fire on Kesta village in Kani Massi district on June 17, 2022

Shafaq News reported that Turkish forces launched artillery against Kesta Village, north of Duhok, which resulted in the injury of two women.

Omed Kestayi, chieftain (mukhtar) of Kesta village in Amedi town, told Rudaw’s Haydar Doski on Friday that Turkish troops from a nearby military base shelled inside the village earlier in the day, injuring two women, who were hospitalized. The shelling was done with DShk, a Soviet heavy machine gun, for about half an hour. ANF specified that the injured women were taken to Batifa Hospital.

Omed Kestayi also provided the names of the victims: Kazen (25 years old) and Sally (40 years old), one of them was hit in the head and the other in the hand.

The majority of sources attributed the bombardment/shooting to Turkish forces, while only Zagros News did not identify who was responsible.

The incident occured at approximately 5:30 pm local time.

  • Kazen 25 years old female injured
  • Sally 40 years old female injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery, Ground operation
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Causes of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions, Small arms and light weapons
  • 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 (1) [ collapse]

  • One of the women injured when Turkish artillery attacked Kesta Village, north of Duhok which resulted in the injury of two women. (Image posted by Shafaq News)

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of Kesta (كيسته), for which the generic coordinates are: 37.256848, 43.160734. 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
    Artillery, Ground operation
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Causes of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions, Small arms and light weapons
  • 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]